Daughter of Mandalore
by KashinaKairi
Summary: The Force works in mysterious ways in order to guide everyone to their destinies. Sometimes it doesn't matter what others do in life to get their destiny, and sometimes its the choices of others that lead one to their own. Odette Kryze grew up, not knowing much about how she is the way she is. It's the answers to those questions she seeks, and that will seal her fate.
1. Secret

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Satine Kryze wasn't one to worry too much. She was a pacifist and the ruler of Mandalore, if she was worried then there was a problem. Right now, it was her own sister that was worrying her. "Bo, can you please just tell me what is wrong with my daughter?"

Bo-Katan shook her head as she continued to lead Satine to her daughter's playroom. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, and there is nothing wrong with her." She corrected her sister as she opened the door to the playroom. Toys, dolls, and books floated around the room, circling around the little girl sitting in the center of the room. "She's force sensitive." She watched her little niece as she giggled at the floating mess around her. "The Jedi will come for her, won't they?"

Satine frowned thinking of being separated from her daughter. "No, I won't let them. My daughter will stay with me." Bo nodded, agreeing with her sister. Satine entered the room, gently pushing away anything that came close to her face. She knelt down by her daughter, picking her up when she reached for her. "That's my little girl." She rubbed her forehead against Odette's, making the little one year old giggle loudly. "Our little secret."

"Seekree!" Odette exclaimed in her baby babble. It was turning more and more into words as the months went on.

Satine smiled as she watched her daughter giggled to herself. Odette looked so much like her, blue eyes with bounding curls on top of her head. But unlike her pale blond, her daughter's hair was a dark, golden blond. She got up from her seat on the ground, picking Odette up with her. "Shall we get a snack?"

"Snack!" Odette shouted happily. She giggled as all of her toys fell to the ground. Satine rolled her eyes, her little girl was always making a mess.

* * *

Short and sweet. Just introducing our protagonist, Odette Kryze.


	2. Progress

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette shuffled from one foot to the other as she waited by the door. Her mother was due home any moment from her daily meetings. She was 8 now and mature enough, by her mother's standards, to stay home by herself. She knew the rules well enough.

-Don't let a stranger into the house.

-Don't answer calls from people you don't know.

-Don't do anything you need an adult for. (Meaning anything she wasn't positive she could do one her own.)

And the largest rule of all.

-Don't let anyone see her use the Force.

Odette had heard much about the Force and the Jedi from her Aunt Bo. They were warriors that upheld the peace and balance in the galaxy, or so the Republic said. She admired them in some ways, and wondered why her mother hadn't let her become one. It was only after her aunt explained what would have happened that she understood, and Odette agreed, she would rather stay with her mother. But what was her mother's reason?

She tucked a stray lock of golden hair out of her face as the door slid open, revealing her mother. "Welcome home Mother." Odette ran up and hugged Satine.

Satine smiled as she held her daughter. "Hello my darling. How were your lessons today?" She led the girl over to the couches in the living room. This had become a routine for them, talking about their day before starting on dinner together.

"They are going very well." Odette eagerly told her mother. "All of my instructors are recommending me for an advancement."

"That's wonderful darling." Odette was in her second year at the Junior Cadet Academy. She was already a year ahead of her age group. "And what of your lessons with your Aunt?" Satine raised an eyebrow as her daughter's eyes widened. "Bo-Katan has been telling me how natural you are with everything. As well as expressed gratitude for allowing me to permit you to learn the Mandalorian ways."

Odette laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her neck. "So, you found out huh?" Her mother gave her an unamused look. "I'm sorry Mother. I know you hate violence and fighting, but I want to be able to defend myself and others."

Satine let out a low sigh. "I had a feeling that was your reason. Which is why I am letting you continue your training."

Odette was surprised. "Really? You're not mad?"

"I'm furious." Satine countered instantly. Her expression softened seeing how deflated Odette was with disappointing her. "But your heart is in the right place." She got up from her spot and sat down beside Odette, pulling her into a hug. "You are the one thing I care about most. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I don't want to see you hurt either." Odette snuggled closer to her mother. The two stayed like that for a moment, enjoying each other's presence. Odette loved moments like these, just her and her mother.

Satine slowly pulled away from her daughter, fixing stray hairs that came out of her bun. "How is your other training going?"

Odette let out a giggle as she reached towards a pitcher of water on the counter. The pitcher slowly lifted off the counter and floated through the air towards them. Odette set it down on the table, careful not to make too loud of a sound. "I can almost do it without moving my hand." She then reached back towards the kitchen, opening the cabinet door and pulling two drinking glasses out.

"You've certainly been practicing as much as you can." Satine commented as she watched her daughter at work. Soon she was offered a full glass of water. "Thank you darling." She took the glass out of the air.

Odette set everything back down on the coffee table. "Mother, why didn't you want me to go to the Jedi Temple?" The room became silent.

Satine set down the glass of water. "It was something I could not do. Forgive me for being selfish, but I couldn't lose you."

"Not after already losing Father?" Odette had never known who her father was. Her mother told her he had died before she was born. Even before her mother even knew she would be her mother.

Satine gave her daughter a sad smile. "Yes, not after losing him." She got up from the couch, straightening her clothes. "I'm going to rest up before dinner."

Odette watched as her mother left, heading for her room. She leaned back on the couch, watching the ceiling. "Father. I wish I knew your name at least." Deciding she had better things to do than mope around, she got up from the couch. Odette returned the pitcher and glasses to the kitchen before returning to her room. She had studying to do if she was going to be skipping another year at the Academy.

* * *

You are all free to guess and speculate who you think the father is. Any of you who have watched all of the Clone Wars episodes should know this right off the bat.


	3. Arrival

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette let out a yawn as she walked out of the Academy, done with classes for the day. She was glad it was the end of the week. That meant she could go home for a day or two. Most of the time she stayed at the dorms, since it was on campus.

"Odette!" Odette looked behind her as a group of three students ran up to her. "Is it true that there is a Jedi visiting Mandalor?"

"A Jedi?" Odette was surprised. Her mother surely would not have allowed them to come if they had planned on coming for her. Besides, her aunt assured her she was far too old for the Jedi to even accept her into their order. no matter how trained she was.

"Yeah. Check it out." Odette looked over at the student's holo-pad. Sure enough, there were several pictures of a Jedi on Mandalor. Even a few with her Mother. "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know." Odette wondered out loud before she set out to find her mother. One of the pictures showed them walking close to a park near the Palace. Her mother would have certainly told her if a Jedi was coming to visit. So why had he come so suddenly? Did it have something to do with Death Watch?

She set out to find her mother, sneaking through back routes as often as she could. She knew exactly where the picture had been taken and it was dated to a few moment ago. She reached the the building the park was located atop on a level a few below the park. the building shook a bit as a loud explosion could be heard from the top floor. "Mother!" Odette shouted before she took off running through the building, hoping she could find a lift or a set of stairs.

Looking up, she could make out shapes of people on the floor above her through the frosted dura-glass. But with the park being four floors up, she knew seeing up that high would be impossible. She stopped running and took a deep breath. She stretched out with her feelings, hoping to get a sense of what was going on.

She took a step closer towards a pilar as she began to sense what was happening above her. She could make out her mother, she was worried and angry. She could also sense the Jedi, but she kept a distance from him, hoping he would ignore her presence in favor of finding the bomber. Most of the civilians she sensed in the park were scared, very scared. One man stood out to her. He was scared, but not like everyone else.

In an instant the suspicious man was moving, the Jedi close behind him. Odette kept her focus on the two men as she opened her eyes. It seemed most everyone was too focused on finding out what happened above them to notice her. She continued on, following the two from below.

She stopped when she sensed them stop as well. She refocused, hoping to figure out what they were doing. From just beyond the door in front of her, she could hear them speaking. Shouting prompted her to open the door. She watched as the bomber crashed onto the ground in front of her.

Odette froze as she stared at the man. There was some blood on the ground, not as much as Odette thought there should be. But then again, was there much of a difference? He was still dying in front of her.

"Odette?!" Satine spotted her daughter standing still in a doorway, staring intently. Satine knew what the girl was staring at. "Take her aside." Satine ordered her guards as she walked past the shocked girl and towards the man who had jumped to his death.

Odette watched as her Mother kneeled beside the man, hearing his last words. One of her mother's guards gently pulled her past the scene, but she just continued to watch. She had never seen someone die before, it was oddly quiet. She didn't expect it to be so silent, so calm.

She watched as a clothe was laid over the man before they began to move him, placing him inside a body capsule. Once the man was seen to, her mother returned to her side. Before they spoke a word to each other, Satine pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I'm sorry you had to see that my darling. Are you alright?" Satine looked at her daughter, her face was a bit paler than usual.

Odette nodded. "I'll be alright. What about you? I heard the explosion." She held her mother's hands tightly, they were shaking a bit.

"I'm fine, no harm done." Satine settled her daughter's fears.

"Pardon my intrusion." Odette's head turned to the side, meeting the Jedi's curious gaze. "I wasn't aware you had a daughter Satine."

Odette examined the Jedi closely. It was far easier to get an impression of him when she could actually see him and not just feel his force presence. The man had dark blond hair and crystal blue eyes. If she had to venture a guess, she would say he was somewhere around her mother's age. "And you would be...?"

Satine placed her hands on Odette's shoulders. "This is Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi. An old friend of mine."

"So I am still considered a friend." Obi-wan gave the woman a smile. His eyes traveled towards the corner the body capsule had gone around.

Satine stepped away from her daughter. "And you are still a friend, in some regards."

Odette watched as her mother and the Jedi interacted. "Is there a story here?" Odette asked pointing between the two adults. "Because you two get along really well. Almost too well for just friends if you ask me."

"It was just one year on the run together." Obi-wan justified.

Satine sighed as she caught sight of a sparkle in Odette's eyes. "Don't go giving her ideas. She comes up with enough on her own." Her daughter simply gave her a shy smile, knowing all the trouble she could get up to with her ideas. "Why don't you run along home, I have a few things to take care of before I am finished for the day."

"Are you taking Master Kenobi with you?" Odette asked as she noticed a small crowd starting to form. A few seemed to be taking pictures.

Obi-wan noticed the crowed starting to gather. No doubt they were forming their own opinions of him and what had happened with the bomber. "I will stay out of the way. I promise."

"It would be best if you stayed out of the public eye for now." Satine worried what rumors would spread about today. "Odette, take Obi-wan with you. And take the back route this time."

Odette nodded, wondering how long her mother knew about her secret path home. "Yes Mother." She looked over at the Jedi master with a smile. "Keep up." She told him before she turned and began walking towards an alley. She could sense the Jedi walking behind her in slight confusion.

Obi-wan followed the girl mostly because he agreed it was for the best, but he was also curious about her. He could sense a bit of a force presence from her. "So, what is this back route?"

Odette turned a corner and stopped in a narrower part of the alley. "It's a route almost no one can take. At least not without equipment." She backed up and placed her foot on the wall behind her. "This is our first climb." With that said, she jumped up and pushed off the wall, landing on the next and pushing off once more. She climbed up about four levels before landing on a ledge.

Obi-wan easily landed beside her. "That was certainly faster than finding a lift." He commented before following after the girl once more. "How long have you been taking this path?"

"Almost as long as I've been at the Academy." Odette stretched her arms up above her. She didn't really have a chance to push her limits since her last training day with her Aunt Bo. "Mother doesn't like me showing off. Says it's dangerous for someone like me."

"You mean for someone force sensitive." Obi-wan knew he figured it out when the girl met his eye. She released the hold she had on her force signature, showing off how powerful she had gotten on her own. "How long have you been practicing with the Force?"

Odette jumped across a gap between houses, landing on the walkway towards home. "I've always been using it. I used it to get any toys my mother put too high for me to reach, or whenever I wanted to help my mother around the house." She pushed the open button on the front door. "And this is home." She led the Jedi into her home.

Obi-wan wasn't too surprised at the house. "The Duchess certainly didn't spare any expenses." He looked up at the chandelier hanging above him, it was probably large enough to crush him.

"My Mother has her tastes." Odette shrugged as she stepped onto the little robotic rug that cleaned her shoes for indoor wear. "Come inside. Make yourself at home. Mother trusts you well enough. It's a rare thing you know."

"I do." Obi-wan followed Odette's example and let the rug clean his shoes, there was bound to be some dirt on them. He sat on the couch across from the girl. "How old are you? If I might ask."

"I'm 14." Odette answered honestly. "How old were you when you met my Mother?"

"Not much older than you are now." Obi-wan smiled remembering the past. "I was still a Padawan then, braid and all. My Master and I were sent to solve a dispute on Mandalore. Most of the mission was spent with your Mother and I on the run from people trying to assassinate her."

"They're still trying, aren't they?" Odette asked as she stared at the floor. She could almost see the bomber on the floor of her living room. "That man, he was a member of Death Watch right?"

Obi-wan nodded. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"I wasn't the only one that saw it." Odette was sure she wasn't. "I think these people are the same as the ones that tried to kill her before. When you were protecting her."

Obi-wan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That may be so, it seems my job isn't finished yet."

Odette gave the man an encouraging smile. "At least you have some experience now."

"I hope it's worth something." Obi-wan could see some semblance of Satine in her daughter. "Who is your father? Is he not around?"

"I don't have one, at least not one my mother likes enough to mention." Any further conversation was halted as the front door opened and closed. Odette got up from her seat to see who it was. At the door she found her cousin. "Korkie? What are you doing here?"

Korkie mostly ignored her in favor of staring at the guest in her house. "So this is the Jedi everyone is talking about." Korkie walked up to the Jedi and held out his hand. "It's great to meet you. We've heard about Jedi so much, but never met one before."

"I can understand why." Obi-wan commented as he looked over at Odette. With her being force sensitive, any Jedi they would have met would have been suspicious. Plus, the Jedi had never had solid relations with the Mandalorians.

Odette stepped forward, standing beside Korkie. "This is my cousin, Korkie. We go to the academy together."

"She's probably going to graduate before me though." Korkie joked. "She's smart and skilled enough to graduate early."

"That won't be for another few years." Odette argued. "And I would rather not rely on any extra abilities I have to move myself ahead. I don't need them. They're just useful in a pinch."

Obi-wan chuckled, he could agree with force abilities being useful in a pinch. "So, while I'm here, why don't you show me what you can do? It's rare to find someone self taught in the force. Let alone as proficient as you seem to be." The girl smiled and nodded, looking so much like her mother when she was younger.

* * *

Isn't this fun? I'm honestly loving this story more the more I write it.


	4. Reveal

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette yawned as she scrolled through the news on her datapad. She had stayed up a bit too late last night. Obi-wan had given her a few pointers on her meditation and a few other things she could practice on. It was very enjoyable. Korkie had even stayed over rather than return to the dorms. It was nice for Odette to see a different side of her mother. She didn't know many off-worlders her mother cared about.

"So..." Odette looked up as a few other cadets from her class surrounded her desk. "What is the Jedi here for?"

"Are we going to join the war?"

"Is he still in the city?"

"Did he get arrested?"

Odette let out a heavy sigh, silencing the crowd. "He's here on Jedi business. My mother would never agree to us joining the war with our stance as a neutral system. They left for Concordia yesterday to return the man that died the other day to his home."

"But the Jedi are leading the war." Someone piped up.

"I agree with my cousin." Korkie spoke up. "The Duchess would never join this war."

"Nor will my mother allow us to be bullied into it." Odette firmly stated as the door to the classroom opened.

Everyone returned to their seat as their instructor arrived. They all prepared for the lesson as the teacher pulled up their lesson for the day. They had only just begun when the teacher paused as a notification appeared on his datapad. "Odette Kryze, you are required at the office."

Odette nodded as she collected her things and left the classroom. She made her way down to the office, curious as to what this was about. They were already through half of the day.

As she entered the head office, she found one of her mother's guards waiting for her. "The Duchess requests your presence for lunch today."

"Then let's go." Odette led the way out of the building and towards the speeder where another guard was waiting. They arrived swiftly, as they bypassed all of the traffic. Odette walked into the house and found her mother in the kitchen. "So, what's all this about?"

"Just lunch." Satine said as she set food onto the table. "Are you hungry? I made your favorites."

"I see that." Odette commented as she sat across from her mother. "But what's the occasion?" Her smile dropped as she noticed a look on her mother's face. "You're leaving again aren't you?"

"My presence is required in the Galactic Senate." Satine explained. "They need to hear our stance from our own mouths. Otherwise they will just trample on our rights and do as they please. Regardless of our desires or what is best for us."

Odette nodded. "I understand. I've always understood." Satine smiled, glad her daughter had her sensibility. "When do you leave?"

"This afternoon." Satine said as she served herself a bit of food. There would be some refreshments served during the journey, but nothing like a home cooked meal.

Odette nodded as she followed suit. "With a full escort?"

"The Jedi insisted." Satine was a bit annoyed. She wasn't scared, and she didn't need their protection.

"I would insist as well." Odette countered diplomatically. "At least I know they are competent."

Satine chuckled. "I see Obi-wan's charm has not worn off."

"He's the first man I have seen you genuinely happy to be around." Odette watched as her mother's face became a bit sadder.

"He does bring up good memories." Satine tucked a piece of hair away from her face. She cleared her throat before taking a drink of water.

Odette bit her lip in hesitation. "Can...Can I go with you?"

Satine placed her glass on the table a little harder than she meant to. "Absolutely not. The last thing I need is for you to be in danger."

"Like it won't be just as dangerous for me here." Odette argued. "I know Death Watch is targeting you. What's to stop them from targeting me instead while you aren't here?" She could see her mother's face becoming stern, she wasn't going to win. "Please."

"I said 'no', Odette. That is the end of this discussion." Satine set her utensils down, finished with her meal.

"More like an order than a discussion." Odette muttered as she set her own utensils down.

Satine let out a sigh, releasing some frustration. "You are protected here. They can not reach you while you are at the Academy."

"I can protect myself." Odette countered. "It's what I've been training for with Aunt Bo. To protect myself and others."

"And what if they threaten me?" Satine spoke up. She held her hand up as Odette opened her mouth to speak. "If they had captured me, and threatened to harm me, kill me even...what would you do?" She waited as her daughter thought on her scenario. "I know you are strong, but what choice could you make then if they balanced my life against anything? I need you here, where I know you are safe and out of their hands. The people know they can count on you."

"Not all of the people." Odette knew they would have trouble listening to someone her age. Even with who her mother was and her training to one day continue her mother's work.

Satine gave her daughter a smile as she laid her hand over her's. "Almec can handle any large disputes and problems. You just need to be there so they know we are listening to them."

"Alright, I get it." Odette placed her hand over her mother's, giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you." Satine gave her daughter a smile. She released her hand as she stood. "I should get going. It's a long trip to the Core."

Odette stood as well, hugging her mother tightly. "Be safe."

"I will be." Satine replied. She pulled away and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Do you need me to return you to school?"

Odette shook her head. "I can walk back. Besides, I want to pack some food to take back with me." Her mother gave her a nod before leaving with her guards.

Once the front door was firmly shut, Odette ran to her room. She quickly pulled her trunk from her closet and pulled out her Mandalorian armor. She quickly changed into the blue and silver armor that was her Clan's colors. Once she was fitted with her gear, armor and weapons, she snuck out through her bedroom window and flew towards the docks.

She came up to the dock from below, hoping to remain hidden. She landed in the cargo area, quickly finding some crates that were to be loaded onto the same ship her mother would be on. "And don't forget these ones." Odette quickly hid as a voice shouted nearby. She peaked around the corner, curious as to why Merrik was back here.

As some droids headed her way, she snuck into one of the crates marked to be loaded. She braced herself as best as she could in the darkness as the crate was lifted and moved. Once the box was set down, Odette left the box, not wanting to get trapped inside for the entire trip. She climbed her way into the rafters, preparing herself for a long, and hopefully uneventful, trip.

As the trip started, Odette wasn't too surprised to see clones patrolling the cargo hold. There were probably more throughout the entire ship. 'Amazing, I have yet to be found.' She commented to herself as another pair passed right under her. 'If I was an assassin-' Her thought was interrupted as a low thud sounded. Among the rest of the mechanical sounds in the cargo hold, it wouldn't be too out of place. But this one seemed to vibrate up from the floor.

Odette quietly snuck over to where she thought the sound came from. She easily found the large crate that was knocked over. "Now what do we-" Odette jumped backwards as an assassin droid popped up in front of her. She let out a shout as she dropped to the floor. Luckily her suit absorbed most of the impact. "That hurt." She said as she looked up. She panicked a bit as she noticed the assassin droid was gone.

"Now what do we have here?" Odette's head snapped up as she looked behind her at a clone looking down at her. "What do you think you are doing? This is a restricted area."

Odette got up and brushed herself off. "That is not important right now."

"Yes it is kid." The clone argued. "Are you even suppose to be on this ship?"

"Look, can we discuss this later? There is an assassin droid on this ship." Odette argued as she activated her scanners, trying to find the droid.

"A what?!" The clone asked in worry. He looked around trying to spot the droid. He didn't have much time to worry as said assassin droid swung down behind him, impaling him with it's two back mandibles.

Odette took off running in the other direction. She was sure the clone was dead, he hadn't been moving. She stopped for a breather once she was sure she had lost the assassin. "Okay, first meeting with danger...not a good experience." She gave herself a small pep talk as she reached for her side blasters. She gave it a quick check over before deciding to continue on.

The cargo hold was suddenly much quieter than before, eerily so. She was grateful not to find the assassin droid, but worried as to where it was. "Where are you you little bugger?" She commented as she rounded a corner.

She froze as she came face to face with the ends of two blasters. "Don't move." Odette wasn't going to argue with the clone. "Put your hands where I can see them."

Odette slowly raised her arms, her fingers away from the trigger of her blasters. She saw a flash of metal behind the clone. "Look out!" The clone spun around as the assassin droid lunged forward. Odette aimed and shot at the droid. It didn't do much damage, but it stopped in it's attack. Then with the clone's added blasts the droid retreated entirely.

"An assassin droid?" Odette nodded as the clone looked around for the droid. "Where did it come from?"

"One of the crates." Odette said calmly. "It got one of your guys earlier."

"That explains one of my missing men." Odette relaxed a bit as the clone relaxed slightly. "So, who are you?"

"Help?" Odette offered as an explanation.

"Well that's convenient." Odette looked over as a man in Jedi robes joined them. "Rex, I see you found something."

"I think you mean someone." Odette corrected the man.

"Watch it!" Rex shouted as he stepped back.

Odette side stepped as a claw sliced through where she had been standing. She pulled up her blaster and shot at the droid. Since it was much closer this time, the blasts did a lot more damage. The droid fell to the floor, shutting down from the damage.

Odette looked over as the Jedi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nice work Help."

"I have a name." Odette said as she shrugged off the Jedi's hand.

"Odette was it?" Odette looked over as Obi-wan joined their group. "What are you doing down here? I thought the Duchess left you on Mandalor."

"Wait, you know her?" The other Jedi asked Obi-wan in shock.

Obi-wan nodded. "This is Duchess Satine's daughter, Odette Kryze."

Odette removed her helmet, shacking out her cramped, curled hair. "Pleasure master Jedi." She held her hand out towards the Jedi.

"Well she's different." Anakin greeted the girl as his master appeared amused.

Obi-wan turned his attention back to Odette. "I thought your mother told you not to come along."

Odette shrugged. "Considering I've been hiding out down here since we left Mandalore, I'm rather glad I came along. Especially considering I'm only being found now. Not to mention the fact that I know who let the assassin droid on board."

"Oh really?" Anakin asked as he crossed his arms.

Odette sent a glare at the Jedi. "Yes, I do. It was Tal Merrik."

"And how do you know that?" Odette glared as the Jedi didn't seem to believe her.

Obi-wan sighed as the two began arguing. "Children, behave." The two quieted down, turning away from each other in a huff.

"They seem...alike." Rex commented.

Cody let out a sigh. "Just what we needed."

"I'm heading back upstairs." Obi-wan announced. "Anakin, I'll leave the droid disposal to you." Anakin gave him a nod. "Odette, you should probably come with me."

Odette held onto her helmet nervously. "Can't I stay down here?"

"It's not nice to avoid your mother." Obi-wan countered. Odette let out a small grumble as she followed him into the lift. She continued to tap her helmet nervously as they traveled up. "Mandalorian armor?"

"Yeah." Odette turned the helmet around and stared at it fondly. "It was my aunt's when she was my age. I've fixed it up and upgraded it, but most of it is the same." She looked up at Obi-wan with a grin. "I'll get my own custom made armor when I grow out of this one."

Obi-wan nodded. As they neared the floor her mother was on, he spoke once more. "You should probably turn your blasters to stun."

"Good call." Odette changed her blasters to stun, knowing her mother would feel more comfortable that way.

Obi-wan watched as the girl reached for her second blaster and change it to stun as well. He then spotted two cylindrical items on her legs. "What are those?"

Odette looked at the two objects on her person. "They're suppose to be lightsabers, but they don't work." Obi-wan gave her a raised eyebrow look. "I haven't found crystals that work in them, or they aren't actually working." Obi-wan nodded.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to a hallway. "Did you build them?"

"Kind of." Odette tapped one of the hilts. "They're mostly made out of old artifacts from the civil war. It was a prized skill to be able to kill a Jedi."

"That I know very well." He had learned that while on the run with the Duchess. "I thought the Duchess banned those items."

"Only the act of displaying them as trophies." Odette had read the rule very thoroughly. "And any built after the war using pieces from artifacts taken during the war are free game."

Obi-wan let out a chuckle. "You will certainly make a well rounded politician." He pushed a button, opening the door to the dining room. Inside was the Duchess and her guests sitting around a table.

Odette stood still as her mother's eyes locked with her own. "What are you doing here?" Satine asked her daughter.

"Oh my, Lady Odette?" Odette looked over as Merrik spoke up.

"I did not know your daugther would be traveling with us Duchess." Satine kept her eyes on her daugther as Orn Free Taa spoke.

"Nor did I." Satine looked over at Obi-wan.

Obi-wan simply smiled. "I'll leave you to catch up." He backed out of the room and let the door close.

Odette stayed in place as her mother's gaze returned to her. "I see you brought your armor." Satine commented, recognizing Bo Katan's old armor.

"You said you were worried for my safety." Odette shifted her helmet to under her arm.

"Home would be safer." Satine argued.

"I agree." Odette looked over at the man who was trying to kill her mother. "You should listen to the Duchess."

"I certainly won't be listening to you." Odette bit back.

"Odette!" Satine shouted as she stood from her seat.

"He snuck assassin droids on board." Odette spoke as she pointed at the man.

Satine looked between her daughter and Merrik. She turned her gaze back to her daughter. "And what proof do you have?"

Odette knew this was coming. "I saw him ordering crates onto the ship."

"I ordered many crates of food and supplies onto the ship." MerrIk stated. "As did many others."

"Yours were loaded last minute." Odette added on. "And it was from those crates that the assassin droids came out of."

Merrik looked over towards the Duchess. "I swear, I have no idea what she is talking about."

Satine let out a sigh. "It's nothing more than the mistake of a child, I'm sure."

Odette stared at her mother in shock. "You don't believe me." She swallowed a lump in her throat before letting out a slow breath. "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted." She put her helmet on, knowing a few tears were inevitable and not wanting to show them. "I'll see you when we land." With that said, she turned and left the room, ignoring her mother.

Odette found herself just walking around the hallways, not really knowing where to go. "Here I am trying to help, but nope, I'm turned down. AH!" Odette growled in frustration.

"You okay kid?" Odette looked over at the clone that had addressed her.

Odette nodded. "Yeah, just dealing with a lack of credibility."

"Tough." The clone commented. "Want to tag along? It's just patrolling the halls though."

Odette shrugged. "Nothing better to do." She fell into step beside the clone. "So, did Master Kenobi mention me?"

"General Kenobi said you would probably be walking around." Odette nodded, making note to thank the Jedi for leaving her to her mother's wrath. "Name's Riot."

Odette looked at the clone sideways. "How did you get that name?"

"Little incident from my cadet days." Riot said with a chuckle. "At least they didn't call me 'food fight'."

"True. I'm Odette." Odette introduced herself to the clone. While there was a great height difference between the two, Odette didn't feel like she was different. They were both willing to fight to protect the poeple on this ship.

"So, you know how to use those?" Odette looked at the two blaster's Riot was referring to.

Odette pulled them both out and switch them back to lethal. "Yep. You worried they were just for decoration?"

"More like not wanting to get shot by a rookie." Riot teased.

Odette laughed with the soldier. "I've got a pretty good score on the practice range at the academy, even on the advanced levels, but I've never used them in a fight."

"Hopefully you won't get that badge this trip." Riot placed a hand on Odette's shoulder, genuinely meaning what he said.

He paused as his wrist com went off. Riot pushed a button, letting the message play out loud. "The assassin droid let loose mini probes. Pay attention for small assassin droids." Riot nodded as the message ended.

"So there was more than one droid." Odette commented in worry.

"All the more reason to stay alert." Riot double checked his weapon. "You might also be a target."

"You don't have to tell me twice." They continued down the hall, keeping an eye out for any assassin probes. They came across a bit of activity when they came back around to the dining room. There were a ton of small probes on the ground and a large assassin droid. Odette scanned the room, but some people were missing. "Where is the Duchess?"

"Merrik took her hostage." Orn Free Taa reported dramatically. "The Jedi went after them."

Odette was very worried now. She was a bit distracted as the blue hyperspace outside became the black expanse of space. "We came out of hyperspace?"

"We can't be there yet." Riot commented, noting how there were no planets nearby. Odette turned and headed for the door. Riot placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "It may be best to stay here and wait."

"There are ships coming this way!" Someone shouted as three moving objects could be seen getting closer to them.

Odette looked back towards Riot. "My mother is out there with a killer. You and I both know those are boarding ships. I am not standing on the sideline waiting for someone else to do something." The ship gave a violent jerk as the three ships impacted with their own. Odette pulled out her two blasters. "I'm going with you."

Riot let out a sigh. "Alright kid, but you stay close to me and you follow orders." Odette nodded as they left the dining room.

It didn't take long for them to find a fight. Droids on one end of a hallway and clones on the other. Odette picked a spot and started firing. It was rather easy, the droids weren't moving that much. "Grenade!" Someone shouted to her right before a loud bang went off.

Odette shook her head as the ringing started to settle. As she looked around, she could see the other clones scattered around her. But unlike her, none of them were moving. "...no..." She whispered as reality set in.

"Surrender." A mechanical voice spoke behind her. The droid poked the back of her head with his gun. "Stand slowly with your hands up."

"AH!" Odette shouted as she stood up, spinning around to face the droids. All of the droids that had been standing around around were thrown back, knocking them violently against walls and each other. She let out low deep breaths as she followed the sounds of fighting. As she passed droids, she shot, not worried about getting hit.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted another stand off. Odette took a deep breath before she started running down the hall. She ran past the line of clones, ignoring any of their shouts. She slid between the legs of a droid on one knee before standing up in the middle of a group of droids. In a flurry of movements, she spun and shot at the droids, avoiding all of their attempts to hit or grab her.

She took a few heavy breaths as the last droid fell to the ground. Odette holstered her gun before looking back at the line of clones. She could see a familiar clone among them. "The name was Rex right?"

"Captain Rex kid." Rex corrected her. "And you're really too much like General Skywalker for my liking."

Odette simply shrugged. "You should have worked faster. Then you wouldn't have given me time to show off."

Rex chuckled. "Now you're pulling a General Kenobi."

"That's suppose to be my line." Cody interjected as he walked up to the two. "Nice work kid. And you were right about Senator Merrik."

"I know." Odette commented as she took another deep breath, focussing on the force. It was probably going to be easier trying to find Master Kenobi than her mother in this giant ship. Once she found who she was looking for, she took off running again.

After many turns she finally found her mother. Satine had a blaster in her hands, pointed at Merrik. "Mother!" Odette shouted in worry. She had never felt her mother so worried or afraid, but what scared her most was that she was willing to shoot Merrik. She was willing to kill the man for endangering everyone else, for endangering her.

As Satine heard her daughter shout, she looked over her shoulder at the girl. Odette watched in worry as Merrik lunged forward, seeing the other two were distracted by her. A beam of bright blue extending from the senator's chest stopped him.

Obi-wan let out a sigh as he shut off his lightsaber. "Anakin." The jedi deactivated his saber, the threat was gone.

"What? He was going to blow up the ship." The other Jedi justified as he held the detonator.

Satine threw the blaster in her hand to the floor. She then ran up to Odette and hugged her tightly. "Are you alright? Your armor is filthy." Satine fussed over her daughter in worry.

"I'm fine mom." Odette said as she removed her helmet.

Satine checked her daughters face before kissing her head and hugging her again. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Odette hugged her mother back. "Can't really promise that. I promised Aunt Bo I would look after you and Korkie whenever she was away."

Satine chuckled softly. "You truly are my daughter."

Odette smiled as she held onto her mother. She looked past her mother, spotting the Jedi speaking with the clones. She noticed Obi-wan stealing glances at them. "Mom, can we talk?"

"Of course." Satine led her daughter down the hall a bit. "What would you like to talk about?"

Odette took a deep breath. "Is Master Kenobi my father?" She guessed she was correct when her mother simply stared at her in shock. "It's just a thought. I was born while you were rebuilding Mandalor after the civil war. A war you spent an entire year on the run with Master Kenobi. And you two seem to be close-"

"You're right." Odette froze as her mother spoke. Satine let out a small polite laugh. "You certainly are your father's daughter as much as my own." She reached out and held her daughter's cheek.

"We're you ever going to tell me?" Odette asked, not worried about the answer.

"Perhaps one day." Satine mused. "But I can never tell your father. Jedi can't have families. They have to be able to make the selfless decision for the better of the Galaxy. To ask them to chose between those they love and those they are sworn to protect, is too cruel."

"Is that why I can use the force?" Odette wondered if she would still be able to use the force if a Jedi wasn't her parent.

"It may be why you have such a strong connection, but it does not guarantee it." Satine said. She pulled her daughter towards her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "Be safe. This knowledge is dangerous for all of us."

"I know." Odette held onto her mother, knowing her life would never be the same.

* * *

I had a lot of ideas for how to reveal who Odette's father was, but then again everyone probably knew by now. So I just went ahead and said it plain and simple. And doubly confirmed since mom was the one that said it.


	5. Temptation

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette let out a sigh as she adjusted the collar on her dress. Her mother had insisted that she be dressed formally while she accompanied her around the Senate. She was glad her mother had allowed her to chose the dress she wore, but it was still rather stiff compared to her usual attire. Odette was grateful she didn't have a headdress to wear, just a small circlet.

"Welcome Duchess." Odette tuned back into what was going on. They were meeting with the Supreme Chancellor prior to the session that her mother would be speaking at. "And I assume this is your lovely daughter." Odette gave the older gentleman a small bow of her head. "The resemblance is uncanny."

"Thank you, Chancellor." Odette replied to the man's compliment.

The Chancellor looked from the young girl back to the Duchess. "I'm sure she would prefer being outside. We have many things to discuss before the session begins."

"Odette, would you like to sit in?" Satine asked her daughter.

Odette shook her head. "I think I would prefer to look around. If that is alright."

"Certainly. A few of my men can escort you." The Chancellor waved a few red accented clones forward. "They will take you wherever you wish to go."

"Thank you Chancellor." Odette replied as she took her leave from the group. She walked around the large building, the guards a few paces behind her. "This place is massive." She commented as she looked around.

"Excuse me." Odette looked up as a man spoke to her. He gave her a smile as he stopped a few steps away from her. "Would you happen to be Odette Kryze?"

"I am, but who are you?" Odette asked suspiciously. It was probably true that word of her had gotten around the Senate. She could probably name who had spread the word around.

"Senator Organa of Alderan." The man introduced himself along with a bow. "I'm one of the Senators voting against the occupation of Mandalor."

"I thank you for your support." Odette responded cordially. "My mother is hoping to resolve this matter with the chancellor and avoiding getting the Senate involved entirely."

Organa shook his head. "I'm afraid that is not going to be possible, but she may be able to delay the voting. Give us a chance to gather more supporters."

Odette nodded. "I pray that is possible." She caught sight of a familiar figure walking down the hall. "Master Skywalker? I was not aware Jedi had interest in matters of the Senate."

Anakin gave the young duchess a smirk before bowing. "We do what is necessary to keep the peace."

"What brings you to the Senate today?" Organa asked. He was quite well acquainted with many of the Jedi.

"I'm actually here to invite Duchess Odette to a meeting with the Jedi Council." Anakin turned his attention back to the young lady among them.

Odette was surprised. "Me? The Jedi Council wants to meet with me?" Odette tried to think of a reason. Surely she was too old to become a Jedi. So what other reason was there? was she in trouble for using the force and not being a jedi? "Why?"

Anakin shrugged. "They wouldn't say."

"You have nothing to fear." Odette looked over at Senator Organa. "Master Yoda is a very understanding person. There is nothing to fear form the Jedi."

Odette nodded as she weighed her options. Visiting the Jedi Temple would certainly be more interesting than walking around the Senate Building. "Alright, I will go."

"Right this way Duchess." Anakin stepped aside and let the young woman walk wth him.

"Please do not call me that." Odette let it slip the first time. "My mother is the Duchess."

Anakin coughed to cover a chuckle. "Then what shall I address you as?"

"Odette is fine." She recognized the path they were on from when they had arrived at the Senate. "Can we make a quick stop at the apartment I'm staying at? I would like to change into something a bit more...comfortable."

"Not at all." Anakin led the way towards one of the transport vehicles.

Once they arrived at the apartment, Odette quickly headed for her room. She threw off the blue and green dress in favor of a training outfit. The black leggings and pleated skirt were much easier to move in than the five layered dress. She zipped up the front of her vest and grabbed her long fingerless gloves as she located her boots and weapons. With her blasters and 'sabers' on her person, she was ready to go.

She walked out into the front entrance where Master Skywalker was waiting. "Shall we?"

Anakin followed after the girl back towards the shuttle pad. "Not going to wear your armor?"

"I don't want to seem hostile." Odette countered. She noticed him look at the blasters on her hips. "More so than I would with just my weapons. Mandalore has never had good relations with the Jedi."

This time they took a different speeder to head towards the temple, since access to the temple was restricted. Odette stared out the window at the Temple. "It's massive."

Anakin chuckled at her fascination. "Well yeah. It houses the entire Jedi archives and every Jedi in the galaxy." He landed the speeder in one of the hangers. "Come on." He led the way through the temple since it was quite a maze to someone who wasn't familiar with it.

Odette followed the Jedi, looking around as they went. This was quite a unique experience for her. If her mother had allowed it, this might have been her home, but then she wouldn't have known her mother, and probably never learned who her father was.

They stopped at a lift and waited. As the door opened, Anakin ushered her inside but did not enter himself. "Your not coming with me?"

"This is a private meeting." Anakin explained. "The top floor is your stop." He pulled his hand out of the way of the door to allow it to close. "Good luck." The doors shut with a quiet hiss before the lift began to rise rapidly.

Odette took a deep breath as the lift climbed higher and higher. Soon it stopped and the door opened. She walked out into the circular room, keeping focus on the Grand Master himself, Master Yoda. She could feel the eyes of other masters that were sitting in the room. Many of the seats were empty. Odette guessed they were away due to the war, but there were still a number of jedi present.

Yoda chuckled a bit as feelings of curiosity wafted off of the girl. "A new experience, this is." Odette nodded, not sure how else to answer. "Isolated you have been, from those who use the force freely. Taught yourself well, you have. Strong with the force, you are."

"Master Kenobi spoke with you?" Odette didn't doubt the jedi reported to the council about what had happened on Mandalore. She was just worried what that would mean for her.

"Spoken of you, he has, but sensed you we did." Yoda explained as as worry and fear muddled their way through the girl's feelings.

"You have to understand," Odette looked over as another Jedi Master spoke up. Windu watched the girl as confusion spread within her, bleeding onto her face. "Mandalore and the Jedi have never had good relations. During the days of the Old Republic, the Jedi fought against Mandalore to stop their conquest of the galaxy. Since then, Mandalore has refused to alert the jedi of any force sensitive children, and allowed those abilities to diminish and fall dormant."

"We believed the same would be your fate." Odette looked over as a Nautolan spoke up.

"But proven wrong, we have been." Yoda spoke up once more. "Alone you were, with no guide to show you the way. If this path you wish to continue, a mentor you will need. Unknown the force is, to even the wisest of masters. Help you they will, should you chose it."

Odette could sense the feelings coming from the jedi, peace and tranquility, but she could not sense if they were genuine. The Masters were far better trained than she was with masking their feelings, and probably also sensing feelings. She didn't know if she could trust them, but she also did not know if they were untrustworthy. She had no experience with jedi, other than Master Kenobi and Skywalker. Her mother trusted Master Kenobi, and that was enough for her.

"Thank you, Master Yoda. I will consider it." She kept her answer short, not truly knowing how to answer the jedi.

"May the force be with you." Yoda spoke up as the door to the council chambers opened. Odette bowed to the jedi and headed for the exit.

As she reached the main level of the temple, she was greeted once more by Master Skywalker. There was also a togruta beside him. "Odette, how'd it go?" Anakin asked the girl. He wasn't too surprised to see she was about the same height as Ahsoka. Having assumed she was around the same age as his padawan.

"Alright, I guess." Odette answered honestly. She looked over at the third member of their group and held her hand out. "Odette Kryze. It's nice to meet you."

"Ahsoka Tano, Master Skywalker's padawan." Ahsoka took the girl's hand, shaking it firmly. "Rex says you're a good shot, and just as reckless as Skyguy here." She chuckled as Anakin raised an eyebrow at her comment.

"Sometimes the easiest path is a straight line. It's usually very risky, but what is life without a little risk?" Odette knew her limits, or at least she liked to believe that. "It's nice to know I made an impression. I'm sorry to say this is my first time hearing about Master Skywalker having an apprentice."

Ahsoka looked over at Anakin with a flat look. "I guess Skyguy is easily impressed."

Anakin looked between the two as they shared a look and burst into giggles. "Okay, what's so funny?"

"Nothing Master." Ahsoka answered as she looped her arm around Odette's. "How about a tour? Since the guards aren't in sight I'm guessing you're allowed to hang out for a bit." She began leading the way down one of the halls. "What would you like to see first? The archives? The many meditation rooms? The gardens? The training rooms?"

Odette looked over at the padawan as she paused in her list. "Saved the best for last." The two shared another laugh. "Lead the way."

* * *

Odette growled a bit as Ahsoka knocked her over again. "How do you keep doing that?" She asked as the padawan helped her back to her feet.

"I've just had more training." Ahsoka admitted. "You're not doing too bad. Guess your Mandalorian training is helping with that."

Odette chuckled a bit. "I'd be doing better if I had all my gear with me."

They both turned to see Master Skywalker enter the training room. "Hey Skyguy. Come to join us?"

"Not quite Snips." Anakin addressed his padawan. "I've actually come to talk to Odette. The Senate informed the jedi that Duchess Satine was in an accident a few hours ago." Panic and worry consumed the young duchess almost immediately. "She's fine, her guards were able to get her to safety, but the driver was killed." Anakin reassured Odette, but it did not settle her worry entirely.

"My mother will act." Odette knew her mother well. "But why would someone attack her? What would they gain from her death?" She paused as her own communicator began ringing. "Excuse me." She walked over to the edge of the room before answering. "Mother!? Are you alright? I just heard about the attack."

"I'm fine Odette, truly I am." Satine reassured her daughter. "Are you still at the jedi temple?"

"Yes, I am." Odette wasn't too surprised her mother knew where she was. "Are you back at the apartment?" She noted her mother was still dressed in her clothing from that morning.

"Not for long. I have a meeting to get to." Satine answered.

"A meeting? Is it about the vote happening tomorrow." Odette watched as her mother's face dropped. "Mother? What's wrong."

"Because of the attack earlier, the Senate called an emergency meeting. They voted in favor of occupation." Odette could hear the annoyance in her voice, but she also sounded a bit defeated. "But I am going to change that. I know I can."

Odette gave her mother a smile. "I believe you. Please be careful. I'll stay out of trouble. No point in both of us causing problems." Odette chuckled with her mother before ending the transmission. She walked over to rejoin the jedi. "Do you mind if I hang out for a bit longer?"

"I don't mind." Ahsoka chimed in before her master.

Anakin looked between the two girls. "Then I guess I'm sending you both on an errand. Madam Jocasta needs some things carried up from the lower vaults. Think you two can handle it?"

"No problem Skyguy." Ahsoka answered her master. She tugged on Odette's arm. "Come on." She led the way down into the lower levels of the temple. "This rarely happens. Usually Madam Jocasta sends a droid to collect things from the vault. Guess there must be a lot to bring up."

"Who's Madam Jocasta?" Odette asked as she followed the padawan through the temple halls. It looked more ancient the further they went.

"The librarian." Ahsoka explained. "Usually I try to avoid any tasks that involved the Archives. I prefer being out in the field than stuck at the temple. But this is a rare opportunity to take a peak inside the the lower vaults."

Odette frowned thinking how important the items in this vault must be. "Am I allowed to help you with this?"

Ahsoka waved off her worry. "I doubt we'll actually be let into the vault. So you'll be fine. Besides, Madam Jocasta doesn't let anyone touch the artifacts. They'll be in boxes." It didn't take long for them to reach a large and ornate hallway at the foot of a long staircase. "Here's the vaults. I don't see anyone else. That's odd. There should be someone here."

Odette tried to spot someone alongside Ahsoka, but she couldn't see anyone either. "Is there another hallway?" She asked wondering if maybe they weren't in the right place.

"This is the only hallway." Ahsoka assured her. "Maybe we just got here too quickly. Do you want to see if there is anyone coming?"

"Sure." Odette began to climb the stairs to check for someone. She became very confused when she reached the top of the stairs to find herself in another hall of vaults. "This wasn't here on the way down. Ahsoka! I think something-" She stopped as she looked behind her to find a wall where the stairs had been. "What the?" she felt the wall, seeing if there was a hidden button or something.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a breeze blew past her from down the hall. Odette placed a hand on her blaster as she looked around the hall. It looked similar to the one she had just left Ahsoka in, but one of the vault doors were open. Odette looked from the open vault towards the staircase. She should leave and find a someone to report this to, but she was curious as to what was in the vault.

Odette bit her lip as she walked over to the open vault. There wasn't much inside the vault. A few scattered pieces of some ancient armor laying on the floor. And a few sabers hanging on the wall. Everything looked like it was from another era. What drew her attention the most was a single crystal sitting on a cushion in the center of the room. Odette wasn't even sure if she had seen it properly. In certain angles there looked to be nothing on the cushion.

Odette carefully made her way through the room and stood in front of the pedestal. There was indeed a crystal sitting on the cushion. She tentatively reached out and picked up the crystal. It pulsed beneath her fingers, alive with the force. She thought for a moment, could she take it? Would they even notice it was gone. Surely no one even remembered it was there. It was just sitting here out in the open.

With a struggling conscious, Odette put the crystal back on the cushion. As tempting as it was, she was no thief. Besides, she didn't even know how to use a lightsaber. What good would a crystal do? She didn't even know if the sabers she had built would work. She wasn't going to test it with a crystal that wasn't hers. Especially if she ended up breaking the crystal.

Odette carefully left the vault and headed for the stairs. She reached the top and found Ahsoka pacing with a few boxes on the floor beside her. "There you are." Ahsoka rushed over to her and hugged her. "I was so worried you got lost. I couldn't reach you on the com-link and no one could remember seeing you. What happened?"

Odette shrugged. "Force knows. These the boxes?" She managed to gloss over some of the facts of what had happened to her, excluding the open vault and tempting crystal. The two made it to the archives and left the boxes with Madam Jocasta. "So this is the Jedi Archives? It's amazing."

"If you like books and reading about things. I prefer living them myself." Ahsoka didn't even glance at the books as she made her way out of the archives. Odette trailed behind her. "So, shall we continue the tour?"

Odette pulled her eyes away from the shelves of books and sped up to walk alongside Ahsoka. "Lead the way."

* * *

Well that was fun. Sorry for the slight delay. This chapter actually went differently the first time around. I felt like it needed to change a bit, so i rewrote it. I like this version much better. It makes more sense to me at least.


	6. Possibilities

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette brushed a curl away from her face as she followed her mother towards their ship back to Mandelore. At least she would only have to be in this large dress until they got underway. Then she could change into something far more comfortable.

"You seem to have gotten close to the Jedi." Odette looked over as her mother spoke.

Odette gave a small shrug. "I got to spend time with them. They're really quite nice. I would definitely count Ahsoka as a friend." She wrapped her arm around her mother's. They had only settled the occupation crisis this morning after her mother was cleared of charges.

Satine smiled as she pet her daughter's head. "Are you going to miss her?" Odette nodded. "Then perhaps she will have to visit."

"Or maybe we could come back?" Odette wasn't too sure how comfortable her mother would be coming back, after everything that had happened. She would certainly enjoy coming back.

They boarded the ship and parted to their own cabins as their trip home began. Odette changed into her training clothes and began her meditation. It seemed to come so much easier after getting a few pointers from Master Kenobi and Ahsoka. She felt the force around her much clearer. If this was what life as a Jedi was like, she could have handled it.

* * *

Once they arrived back on Mandalore, Odette was sent straight back to the academy with a full explanation of where she had been and why she had skipped classes. She had been given a stern talking to by the Head Master and given detention for a month. Not to mention she had to make up all of the work she had missed.

Odette sighed as she sat at her lunch table with a pile of holo-pads around her. "Guess even the daughter of the Duchess gets in trouble." Odette gave her cousin a raised eyebrow as he joined her at her table. "So, where have you been? Everyone is saying you were in some sort of battle."

"It wasn't that big of a deal. Just a bunch of droids." Odette shrugged it off as she moved onto the next holo-pad.

"That can't be everything." Odette looked over as Korkie's friends joined them. Amis was very excited. "Tell us everything."

Odette looked around as the four around her watched her with anticipation. "Tal Merrik snuck a few assassin droids onto the cruiser and tried to kill then kidnap my mother. The Jedi were able to stop him and save the ship. The Senate voted in favor of occupation after my mother was attacked and almost killed on Coruscant. Then my mother was framed for a murder she didn't commit. Then Senator Amidala managed to convince the Senate to let Mandelore fix it's problem itself and called off the occupation."

A few seconds ticked by as they all processed what Odette had just told them. Korkie was the first to recover. "And you said it wasn't a big deal." Odette simply shrugged in response.

The bell rang once, giving the warning for the end of lunch. Odette quickly gathered her things. "I'll see you all in last hour." She then headed off to the study hall for her study period.

Classes finished faster than Odette had anticipated and soon she was heading back home. She had a few things she needed to pick up. Korkie was tagging along, claiming he wanted to welcome back his aunt. The two settled into a comfortable pace as they walked. "So, what did you leave out?" Korkie asked as he looked over at his cousin.

"What makes you think that?" Odette wondered if he was force sensitive. He always seemed to know when there was more to a story.

Korkie chuckled. "I know you too well. Whenever you leave something out you always talk quickly."

Odette nodded, realizing her habit. "I got to meet the Jedi Council."

"Really?!" Korkie was shocked. "And they don't care that you use the force?"

"They know I'm force sensitive and can use it." Odette explained. "They were actually quite surprised how well I could control it. They even offered to mentor me if i wanted to become a jedi."

Korkie frowned as he began to think. "If they knew you were force sensitive, why did they never come for you as a child? Don't they bring any force sensitive child to the temple?"

Odette shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter. They obviously see some potential if they offered to let me train at my age."

The two became quiet for a bit as they thought about things. How life would be different for both of them. "If you had been taken, would you be fighting in the war right now?" Korkie asked, almost as an after thought. His life would certainly be much different if his cousin had grown up a Jedi instead.

"Probably. I have this feeling that I will be fighting in it anyway, Jedi or not." Odette could sense it, almost like a cold draft. She pushed the open button to her mother's house, smiling as the delicious scent of a home cooked meal washed over her.

She and Korkie entered the house and left their things in the entrance way. Satine turned to the two as she continue to cook. "Hello you two. Are you hungry?"

"Always for your cooking Aunt Satine." Korkie answered as he grabbed plates from the counter and began setting the table.

Satine chuckled at her nephew's compliment. "Thank Odette for the good cooking. Being a mother has certainly taught me many things. One is how to feed a fussy eater." Odette huffed at her mother's teasing. "Go wash up, dinner is almost ready."

Odette shook her head as she headed out of the kitchen. She was glad the Jedi had never come to take her from her mother. She couldn't imagine a life without her mother. She didn't want to, but the thought still lingered.

* * *

Another chapter done. Sorry for the shortness, it had to happen. But hey, two chapters in one day.


	7. Routine

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

As the weeks went by, Odette settled back into her regular school schedule. She would go visit her mother on weekends and spend the rest of the week at the academy. The academy was starting to slow, coming to the middle of the term, but Odette was grateful for the slowed pace.

The bell rang, signaling lunch. Odette collected her things and headed for the cafeteria with the rest of her classmates. She waited in line to get food, wondering what they were serving today. Today was a simple grilled meat with various veggies. What caught her eyes today was a new drink to chose from, a bottled tea. She passed up the tea in favor of her usual green bottled smoothie.

Odette easily found her cousin and his friends seated together at a table. "Anyone going to try the new tea?" She asked as she looked around at the others.

Soniee shook her head. "Tea is meant to be warm in my opinion."

"Same." Korkie agreed as he took a drink of his water. "Although I've heard we're the last school to get it. I don't know much about it though."

"Don't like tea." Amis shrugged as he continued to eat.

"Not in the mood." Lagos spoke as she focused on Odette. "So, did you get a chance to meet with the Senator from Naboo before coming back this morning?"

"No, but she is friends with my mother. So she is bound to be staying for a bit." Odette noticed a few other students trying the new tea. "I'll probably get to meet her at some point." She guessed she would be trying it tomorrow, see if it was any good.

"Maybe you should invite us over." Soniee suggested. "I've never met a Senator before."

"They aren't too different from my aunt or even the Minister." Korkie didn't see what the big deal is.

Lagos rolled her eyes at the two. "It's not big for you two because you're related to the Duchess. For those of us that aren't, it's a rare opportunity."

Odette guessed that was true. "I'll run it by my mother first. It would be rude to just ambush someone like that."

* * *

Odette soon found herself in second to last class of the day, physical training. This was probably one of her favorite classes, but also the one she had to hold back the most in. Today they were going through an obstacle course.

"Alright, cadets, line up." Odette stood in the line with the rest of her class as the teacher spoke. "Today we are going for speed and endurance. I want to see how fast you can complete the circuit and how many times you can complete it at the same speed. So don't go all out, pace yourselves and once you feel spent, then go all out. You all will be going at a staggered start, so listen for the whistle and no pushing when passing."

With that, he blew the whistle and sent the first cadet out into the course. Odette waited as the cadets in front of her began the course. Once it was her turn she waited for the signal. *whistle*

Odette took off at a light jog, reaching the first obstacle with a bit of momentum. She jumped up a bit and grabbed onto a rope, swinging across a mud pit. She landed and moved onto the next obstacle, a climbing wall. She used the rope to climb up while her feet walked up the smooth rock wall.

It was about 20 minutes before she finally finished the long obstacle course. There were somewhere between 30 and 40 different obstacles on the course. Another blow of the whistle signaled an opening for someone to start again. There were two others in front of her waiting to go. 'This is going to take forever.' Odette commented as she waited.

*whistle* Odette tapped her foot impatiently as the line in front of her reduced by one. She would have to pass this guy sometime during the circuit. She did not want to have to wait again after this.

*whistle* She stepped up to the starting line and watched as the person in front of her ran at the first obstacle. She would have to pass him at around the fourth of fifth obstacle. The first three were not wide enough to allow her to pass him safely.

*whistle*

Odette kept her pace the same as before, knowing she would have time to catch up. She crossed the mud pit, climbed the rock wall, and slid down the zip-line. She gave a sprint to reach the next obstacle just after the person in front of her. She jumped up and swung across the bars as quickly as she could, skipping a few bars between. She got off and moved on before the other cadet got off. She managed to pass her next classmate during the wire crawl. Then another just before the last obstacle.

By her fourth round of the circuit, there were a few cadets sitting out, being unable to run the course anymore. *whistle* Odette picked up the pace since there was no one at the start line and took off into the course again. She didn't come across anyone as she went through.

Since she had been through the course a few times, she knew where she could cheat a bit, using her augmented abilities without being noticed. She finished the course quickly and began another run. She finally called it quits, seeing as she was the only one still running. "That all you got?!" The teacher shouted. "Alright, hit the showers. You lot are done for the day."

Everyone left the training area and headed for the showers, glad to be done. Odette quickly washed and dressed, heading off to her last class of the day. She was curious as she went through the halls, it wasn't as crowded as it normally was. Even when she reached her class, there were quite a few cadets missing.

Odette set her things down and turned to one of her classmates. "Did something happen?"

"Food poisoning apparently." The boy answered. "I heard almost half the academy is sick with it. I wonder what it was."

Odette frowned as she thought on the knowledge. She needed to let her mother know about this. To have so many cadets fall to the same illness, this couldn't be a simple accident. Even if it was, they needed to prevent this from happening again.

* * *

As soon as classes were out, Odette raced home, hoping to catch her mother before any sort of meeting. She got home in time to see her mother and Senator Amidala about to head out. "Mother, are you busy?"

Satine was surprised to see her daughter home. Usually she stayed at the academy during the week. "Just heading out for a bit of work."

Odette looked at how both her mother and the senator were dressed. "And you are dressed like this because...?" Her mother was certainly not dressed for any sort of political meeting. She could swear she saw a blaster on Senator Amidala. With how the war was going, she wasn't too surprised to see the Senator was armed.

Satine knew her daughter had sniffed them out, but it didn't really matter. "It's just a bit of investigating." Satine placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. She placed a kiss on her head. "We'll be back soon." She gave her a smile before heading out the door with Senator Amidala. They were meeting her guards outside.

Odette watched as her mother left the house with her friend. She knew her mother would probably take her guards with her. So she didn't really have to worry. She took a deep breath to relax herself. Her mother was probably investigating something important and non-lethal. At least that is what she hoped.

Odette quickly walked over to the control panel and checked the location of her mother and her guards. She was glad to see them all in one place. "Hopefully nothing goes terribly wrong." Odette added a warning to the system just in case.

* * *

I apologize if things are getting slow and short. I'm not a big fan of massive jumps, so I always feel the need to add in things like this.


	8. Grafted

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette was all too giddy as she stood beside her mother. They were waiting for a Jedi transport to arrive. Ahsoka was coming to teach at the Academy for a bit. Her excitement nearly doubled as the ship came into view and began to land.

The doors opened and Ahsoka walked over with Master Skywalker and Captain Rex. Odette followed at a controlled pace beside her mother. "Duchess, Duchess." Anakin greeted the two.

"Welcome Master Jedi." Satine greeted the two. "And to you as well Padawan Tano. My daughter has spoken very highly of you."

"I hope I live up to your expectations." Ahsoka commented as she gave Satine and Odette a smile. "You've gotten stronger."

Odette was a bit surprised. "How could you tell?"

"The force told me." Ahsoka smiled as she teased the girl. Odette giggled, catching onto the joke.

"Padawan Tano, if we could ask you to leave your weapon with Master Skywalker." Odette looked over as Prime Minister Almec spoke up, interrupting the two girls. "You must understand that since the events that happened when Master Kenobi visited, off-worlders are not allowed weapons on Mandalore."

"I understand." Ahsoka answered as she passed her master her saber. "Hold onto this till I get back?"

"I'll come pick you up in a few days." Anakin answered as he clipped her saber to his belt.

"We'll take good care of her." Odette reassured the Jedi. "So don't worry."

"I'm more worried about any trouble you to might get into." Rex added almost as a second thought.

Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "She's not as bad as Skyguy."

"Don't worry Captain Rex, I'll keep her out of trouble." Odette smiled as she wrapped her arm around Ahsoka's. "Shall we?"

Odette led Ahoska towards the transport. "Good luck Snips." Anakin called out as his Padawan headed off on her first solo assignment. Ahsoka waved back at her master before turning her full attention to her task at hand.

"Ahsoka." Ahsoka looked over as Duchess Satine spoke up. "I'm sure you are well aware, but no one outside of my personal guard and Minister Almec know of Odette's force sensitivity. It is important that it stays that way."

"I understand." Ahsoka responded. She wasn't sure why, but she would respect their wishes.

"Thank you." Satine looked from the young Jedi to her daughter. "Now then, first stop will be at home for you to change. I will take Padawan Tano to the academy to get her settled in. Can I trust you to get yourself back in time for your classes?"

"Of course." Odette wasn't worried about missing classes. She was just worried about missing Ahsoka's class.

"I shall take my leave at your home as well. There are some matters I must attend to." Almec spoke.

"Of course Prime Minister. I apologize for interrupting your day." Satine knew her friend had much to deal with. She was grateful for his help.

"Not at all. It is a pleasure to welcome a young Jedi to Madalore under such peaceful terms." Almec looked over the young togruta. "As I am sure you are aware, Mandalore does not have a good history with the Jedi. Hopefully this is a step towards creating a better future."

"I hope so Prime Minister." Ahsoka answered honestly.

* * *

Odette was fascinated by Ahsoka's lesson. The war sounded a lot more complicated than she had anticipated. Sure it was moving strategically against your opponent, but it was also predicting your enemy and working with what you had. She was honestly amazed how expertly Ahsoka had explained everything.

"How did that go?" Ahsoka asked her friend's opinion.

Odette placed a comforting hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "You did great."

"Thanks." Ahoska felt herself relax a bit. "I'm not that great at teaching. Rex is better at it."

"I'm sure Captain Rex just has more experience with it." Odette was sure the Captain had had to teach many more times than Ahsoka had.

Ahsoka frowned. "You know you can just call him Rex. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"I'm sure, but I can't." Odette could see Ahsoka's confusion on her face. "You know the markings on his helmet? Those are called the Jai'galaar'la sur'haii'se, or Jaig eyes for short. They're a symbol used by Mandalorians to acknowledge someone who has shown great bravery. I guess you could say I'm a bit star struck. Not a lot of people follow those kinds of traditions anymore."

"Do you?" Ahsoka asked. She had never asked Rex about the markings on his helmet. She honestly wasn't surprised to hear what they stood for.

Odette nodded. "My aunt is teaching me the ways of the old Mandalore. It's how I got my armor and weapons. I guess I hope to get those same markings one day."

Ahsoka gave her friend a smile. "I'm sure you will. You've got it in you."

"Thanks Ahsoka." The bell overhead rang, signaling the end of the period. "I should head to my next class. I'll see you at diner." Odette waved farewell to her friend as she headed off to her next class. She passed her cousin as he made his way to his next class. "Hey Korkie."

Her cousin stopped her for a moment. "Stop by my room after diner." He spoke quickly before moving on. Odette frowned as she watched him continue on, not looking back once.

She spent her entire next class barely focused on the lesson. She was wondering what Korkie could possibly want to talk about. Once the bell rang, she quickly gathered her things and headed for her dorm. She dropped her things off and went straight to Korkie's room, sending a message to Ahsoka that something had come up.

She wasn't too surprised to see Korkie and his friends in their dorm room. Their dinner block was earlier than hers. "Alright, what is this about?" She looked around as all of them shared looks.

"We want to investigate the food shortage." Korkie blurted out. Odette stared at them all, wondering what had brought this up. "Ahsoka said it was our duty as citizens to make sure the officials were doing their job."

"So you want to spy on the facility and make sure nothing shady is happening?" Odette asked her cousin. She rubbed her head. "What makes you think this is even necessary?"

"Well, it is where all of the city's food supply is stored and brought in." Lagos pointed out. "And we had that food poisoning episode and the current rationing of the school's food."

"And you think that is reason enough to investigate?" Odette looked around as all of them nodded. She let out a sigh. "Alright, but we keep quiet and hidden, and we tell no one about this. Mother is going to be so cross if this gets out." Soon Odette, Korkie, Soniee, Amis and Lagos were dressed in their darkest training gear, ready for their secret spying mission.

They snuck into the docks using nearby crates to get through the half open doors. They then stuck to the high ground to avoid detection. It wasn't long until they came across something, a meeting with three Mandalorians secret service guards, three Gotals and a cloaked figure. "Bingo." Amos spoke as she began recording the meeting. "Come on, turn around."

The three hushed Amis and pulled her back just before the group saw them. A scuffling of feet told them their cover was blown. "Move." Odette hissed to the others as they took off running towards the doors. They slowly started to close as they reached them. She and Korkie were the last ones through the closing doors. "Let's go." She ordered as they all took off running back towards the academy.

They stopped running once they reached their dorms. "That was close." Lagos commented as he fell onto his bed. "We could have been caught."

"But we caught them." Korkie spoke enthusiastically. "We caught someone doing something illegal. Amis do you still have the holo?" Korkie took the holo and played it over. "We did it."

They all looked at the recording. "Did we get sound?" Lagos asked as she watched the video. "I can barely hear anything. And we can't see who is under the hood." She lamented as the holo played out. "I don't think we got anything. Other than a few years off of our lives."

"I'm sure this can be useful." Korkie argued. "Let's go talk to Aunt Satine. I'm sure she will believe us." Odette chewed her lip in thought. Would her mother believe her this time? "Should we go now?"

"In the middle of the night?" Odette asked her cousin. "We aren't even suppose to be out of bed right now." She had no doubt that she would be able to get back to her dorm without anyone seeing her. Then there was also a chance her roommates were also breaking curfew. "We'll go in the morning. Mother should still be at home since she is expecting me home anyway."

"Alright." Korkie was a bit bummed about waiting, but it made sense. "You want to bunk here for the night? I'm sure your dorm mates already suspect you've gone home. It would be suspicious for you to be there in the morning."

Odette waved off his offer. "It's fine. My dorm mates tend to be rule breakers themselves. They owe me." She waved as she snuck out of their room, getting back to her's without being caught.

* * *

In the morning, Odette found herself home with Korkie and his friends. "Mother, can we speak to you about something?" She wasn't sure how her mother would react. Last time Odette had told her about some plot, she hadn't believed her.

Satine looked at Odette, Korkie and his friends. "Of course." They all took seats on the couches. "What is it?"

"We've uncovered a plot." Korkie blurted out as he pulled up the hologram of the secret meeting. They had managed to enhance the volume a bit. They could now hear them talking about the food storage and heightened prices. "We think they are the ones responsible for the food shortage."

Satine looked between the five teens. Korkie was excited as he usually was. His friends seemed a bit worried. But what caught her attention most was her own daughter. Odette looked almost uninterested, maybe even a bit discouraged. She guessed it had something to do with the trip to Coruscant.

"You do believe us, don't you Aunt Satine." Satine turned her attention back to her nephew.

Satine smiled gently. "Of course I believe you all." She noticed Odette looking surprised. "But you must be careful with this." Satine turned off the holo and wrapped Korkie's hands around it. "I fear this plot runs much deeper than you realize. Please, don't speak about this with anyone. I fear it may put you in even more danger."

Odette rolled her eyes, hearing her mother shut them out. "Thank you mother. We're going out for a bit. I'll be back in time for supper." She got up and followed the others out. She stopped as her mother held onto her arm.

"Please, stay out of this." Satine begged her daughter.

Odette just nodded. "Yes mother." She then leaned up and kissed her cheek. "See you at diner."

"Bye Aunt Satine." Korkie added as they left the house. "She didn't believe us." He spoke up disheartened. "What can we do now?" He tucked the holo away into a pocket.

"Prime Minister Almec?" Odette suggested. "He's the next most powerful person after my mother. I've known him almost my entire life. If anyone can help us, he will." The others nodded, seeming to agree with her. "Let's leave the holo out this time. He may believe us more if we report it as witnesses rather than spies."

"Good point." Korkie added. "Let's go."

They all headed for Almec's office, hoping he wasn't busy with meetings. They were surprised as they were ushered in immediately. "Prime Minister Almec." Odette greeted the man with a smile.

"Hello Odette. What can I do for you?" Almec asked with a pleasant smile on his face as usual.

"We have suspicious activity to report." Korkie spoke up.

"Oh my. Sounds serious." Almec leaned on his hands, listening intently.

"We saw them in the docks. There were three officers and three Gotals and a hooded man. They were talking about making profits by withholding food supplies." Korkie explained.

"Oh my, what a conspiracy." Almec spoke up. "And how did you come by this information in a restricted dock?"

Odette chuckled at the sheepish look her cousin and friends had. She was going to explain things differently, but Korkie had gotten ahead of himself. "We may have been sneaking around Prime Minister. Jedi Tano spoke to us about being good citizens and that it was our duty to root out corruption and hold our leaders accountable."

Almec nodded. "Well, she certainly inspired many." He chuckled as the teens looked embarrassed. "Don't worry, I know you meant well in what you did. I will look into this matter personally. Meet me in the southern courtyard just after curfew. I want you to show me where you saw this meeting happen."

"We can show you now if you have time." Korkie offered. Just as he finished, a call came in. "I guess we will see you tonight then." They all waved silently as they left the Prime Minister to his work. "Maybe we should have gone to him first."

"It was worth a try to ask the Duchess." Soniee added. "So, I guess we wait for tonight."

"You all head back to the academy." Odette spoke up. "We need to act as if nothing is wrong. So you go back and I will head home. We'll meet up before meeting with the Prime Minister." They all nodded as their plan was set.

Odette returned home, expecting to find dinner almost done. "Mother, I'm...home..." She paused at the quiet house. Something was off about the atmosphere. She stayed quiet as she stalked through the house, hoping her worry was misplaced.

A creak behind her set of her reflexes, sending a kick behind her. She was rewarded with a grunt as her assailant fell backwards. Odette ducked as someone swung at her from the side, just missing her head. She swiped their legs before diving to where the window was. She managed to snag the blinds and bring more light into the dimly lit living room.

Odette stared in shock at the sight of the room. Her mother's guards were scattered around the room, unmoving. The few men that were moving, were dressed in secret service armor. "You picked the wrong house." Odette growled as she got to her feet.

As the two men moved towards her, she picked up the table using the force and threw it at them, knocking them out. Odette stayed at the ready, she was sure there were more than just the two she saw. She pulled the table up again as stun bolts flew at her. Odette grunted as she sent the table flying at her assailants.

More stun bolts fired at her as she ducked behind a couch. She reached for her com to call Korkie. "Pick up." She hoped as it rang. "Gah!" She shouted as someone jabbed her ankle with a stun baton.

She fell over as Korkie answered. "Odette? Is everything alright? Odette?" The line went silent as a boot crushed the com.

Odette rolled over onto her back as the secret service guard stood over her. "You'll pay." She hissed out as he shot her point blank with a stun bolt.

* * *

"Odette? Odette wake up." Odette opened her eyes to a harsh whiteness. "Are you okay?" She focused in on her cousin speaking with her.

"Korkie?" Odette sat up and looked at the others with him. "Amis? Soniee? Lagos? What is going on? Where are we?" She looked around at the white and glass box they were locked in.

"Prison." Korkie explained. "Prime Minister Almec is behind everything. The corruption on Mandelor. The food shortage. He's the master mind behind it all."

Odette looked at them all in a bit of confusion. "So, we're locked up because we know?"

Korkie scratched his head. "Sort of. Ahsoka came up with a plan. We need to find Aunt Satine. She is somewhere in this prison, and the best way to find her was to get inside."

"And the best way inside was to be arrested?" Odette asked with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe Captain Rex was right to worry."

The doors opened and Ahsoka walked in, two guards standing outside. "Be careful, we are being watched. How are you doing Odette?"

"A bit sore, but otherwise fine." Odette answered. "So what's the plan? Do we know where my mother is?"

"Not yet. The Prime Minister wasn't too forthcoming of her location, but I know they have her in custody." Ahsoka explained.

"I knew this plan wouldn't work." Lagos complained as he turned into the corner of the room.

Ahsoka was not impressed by his lack of faith. "We just need to alter the plan a little. You'll know what to do when I give the signal."

"What's the signal?" Amis asked.

"You'll know it when you see it." Ahsoka explained before turning back to the door. Odette watched as Ahsoka reached towards the guard. "You will take me to the Duchess now."

"I will take you to the Duchess now." The guard repeated before heading off. Odette was fascinated. That was a Jedi mind trick.

Time ticked on as they waited for the signal, but what even was the signal. "What is taking so long?" Amis asked impatiently.

"Focus." Korkie advised. "Stick to Ahsoka's plan."

"How do we do that?" Soniee asked. "It's falling apart."

"She said to wait for the signal." Odette spoke up. They watched as guards approached their cell. "Be cool and play along." Odette stood as the guards opened the door.

"Alright, let's move." The guard spoke up. As each of them walked out, they had their hands bound behind their backs. They followed obediently as they were escorted to a more secure part of the prison. As they reached one of the maximum level cells, they found Ahsoka and Satine.

"It seems your daughter will have to suffer needlessly." Odette looked over at Prime Minister Almec, the traitor. "Put a shock collar on her."

Odette watched as a guard walked up to her with said collar. She sensed when Ahsoka was going to act. In the same moment she shouted. "Now!" She pivoted on one foot and knocked the guard off of his feet. She glared back at two more guards, knocking them back against the wall with the force.

She jumped up and over two stun bolts as they aimed at her. She knocked back another guard as Ahsoka picked up a shield and blocked more stun bolts. Odette noticed Almec going for the control panel. No doubt to try something. She got between him and the controls. "Going somewhere?" She asked as she ducked under a grab. She knocked him forward, right in front of Ahsoka.

Ahsoka placed the shock collar that had been on the Duchess onto the Prime Minister. "Got you." She said as she turned on the shock.

Almec cried out as the collar did it's work. "Stop fighting." He ordered his guards before the collar stopped shocking him. Everyone paused, the fighting was over.

Odette watched in satisfaction as her mother stood tall. "Send for my personal guard." As the order was carried out, they were all released from their binders. "I hope this was all worth it to you Prime Minister." Almec, nor his guards, moved as the Royal guard arrived and arrested them all, putting Almec in the very cell he had imprisoned Satine in. "I hope you understand now, I didn't bring you here just to teach. I knew something was amiss, but I had no one to trust. I thought if I brought a Jedi, especially a friend of Senator Amidala's, we could solve this mystery together."

Ahsoka smiled at the Duchess. "I never doubted you Duchess."

"Neither did we." Korkie spoke up before he hugged his aunt.

Odette couldn't help the small bit of hurt she felt. Could her mother not trust her? She opened her mouth to speak when her wrist computer beeped. "What could this be?" She asked as she opened the message. She stared at the multiple screens and messages. "Oh no."

"Odette? What is it?" Satine asked as she looked over her daughter's shoulder at the holo-screen. She gasped at what she saw. There were videos and articles about Odette being a Jedi, a spy for the republic, and a saboteur trying to drag them into the war. "I will stop this."

"Mother you can't." Odette realized it was too late. "If you try, they will never believe you. And it's true, I am force sensitive. The Jedi even know about me and have been helping me train." Odette admitted. "If one part is true, how hard is it going to be for people to think it's all true." She hugged herself thinking how messy this was going to get. Especially for her mother.

Satine knew her daughter was right, there was nothing she could do for her. "I'll send word to Bo. Maybe you can go stay with her for a bit. At least until things settle down." It would be risky, but she had spent time with her before when she was younger. When Death Watch wasn't as active as it was now.

"Mother, you know it won't." Odette could have sworn she heard Prime Minister Almec laughing in his cell. "I'm going to go pack my things. It's best if I leave." She got no argument from her mother, it was truth after all.

Ahsoka placed a hand on Odette's shoulder. "Mind if I come along? You seem like you need a friend?" Odette simply gave the girl a smile as they both headed out of the prison.

Soon they were sitting in her room, packing her things. "So, where does your aunt Bo live?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"My Aunt moves around a lot." Odette admitted. "She's a member of Death Watch actually." She could see and sense Ahsoka's complete shock. "I know, but we actually get along well. Especially since my mother is letting me learn the old ways of Mandalore."

"But Death Watch is trying to kill your mother. What if they use you as leverage?" Ahsoka was very skeptical. Maybe she could convince Master Yoda to let her stay at the temple. Maybe even as an acolyte. there were records of people much older than Odette joining the Jedi Order.

Odette knew the risk of staying with her aunt. "I won't let them," She looked over at her terminal as an idea came to mind." And I won't let Almec win either." She walked over to the terminal and began setting things up.

Ahsoka walked over and joined her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a public announcement." Odette said as she brought up her camera and began a live feed. "Citizens of Mandalore, my name is Odette Kryze, daughter of Duchess Satine Kryze. I know you all have probably seen the videos and articles made public by Prime Minister Almec. And if not, then let me make this clear to you all now. I have the abilities of a Jedi. I have had them since I was born. My mother kept them secret so that I would not be taken by the Jedi."

Odette took a deep breath as she continued. "I did not wish for this truth to be told in such a manner. I had wished that when the time came that Mandalore needed help, I would be able to help as my mother does. I have always supported my mother and her choices to keep Manadlore neutral. I refused to be a conduit with which Mandalore is torn apart."

"So let this be my declaration." Odette squared herself, feeling like the duchess she would have one day become. "I hereby renounce all ties to Mandalore. I renounce my place in it's hierarchy. And I renounce my right to any traditions and customs that are afforded to me. I sever my ties to the Kryze Clan and all of my inheritance." She paused as she gathered her emotions. "I thank you all for the support you have shown my mother. Please, don't let this one person tear down everything she has built here." With that said Odette stopped the video. She took a deep shuddering breath as reality began to set in.

"Odette!" Satine ran into her daugther's room, having listened to her announcement on the speeder ride over. She ran to her daughter and hugged her tightly. "You stubborn thing. You didn't need to go that far." Her lips trembled as she held her daughter tightly.

Odette hugged her mother back. She gave Ahsoka a smile as the togruta left the room, grateful she was giving them some space. She slowly released her mother as she pulled back. "I had to. It's what you would have done if you were in my position, and this will make it easier if I am staying with Aunt Bo. Death Watch won't try using me if they figure out who I am."

"I can't send you to you aunt. Even when Death Watch was inactive I was hesitant." Satine wiped a tear away from her daughter's eye. "And now you've renounced everything. Even ties to your aunt. You'd just be a clanless orphan if you go to her." Satine was amazed how strong her daughter was. "And you're wrong. I couldn't do what you did. I couldn't leave everything I know and love behind. You're so much stronger than I am. I guess you get that from your father."

Odette hugged her mother again, knowing this would be the last time she would see her. It had to be. "I'll be alright, I promise. I'm just worried about you."

Satine kissed her daughter's head. "You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself. And I know you will be alright, I have faith in you." Odette smiled as she held onto her mother. "For now, you will be staying with Senator Amidala on Coruscant. She has agreed to help." Odette nodded as she returned to packing.

After a few minutes, Ahsoka returned. "Master Skywalker informed me Senator Amidala agreed to help out."

"Yes, it was very kind of her." Satine folded a dress and pressed it into Odette's bag.

"The Jedi Council has also agreed to allow Odette to join the Jedi Order, as an acolyte of course." Ahsoka informed them. "You would get apprenticed under a Master, but the furthest an acolyte usually reaches is Jedi Knight. Although, I have a feeling you might make it further." Ahsoka gave Odette a grin, knowing she was more than capable.

Odette was surprised. "They're is letting me join the Order?" She was shocked. This was something unheard of. "Has this happened before?"

"There was a time during the Jedi Civil War that even full grown adults were accepted into the Order." Ahsoka added as she continued to help pack. She paused as she came upon Odette's armor and weapons. "You taking these with you?"

Odette walked over and picked up her helmet. She noted each scratch and dent, remembering each event that caused them. "I can't. I don't have a right to them anymore." She put them all away in her chest. She picked up her two nonfunctioning lightsabers. "But these are all mine." She clipped them onto her belt.

"My little Jedi." Satine mused as she watched her daughter.

Odette looked away in embarrassment, causing her mom to chuckle. She blew a curl out of her face as she looked back. "It's not funny."

* * *

As morning came, Odette was waiting beside Ahsoka outside of the city. She had a single bag and was struggling not to break down crying. She was leaving Mandalore for good. Or at least until she was needed to protect it once again.

It felt like ages had passed until the Jedi shuttle arrived to pick them up. Anakin stepped off of the transport. "Ready to go?"

Odette nodded, not trusting her voice. She dared a glance back, looking to her mother and cousin one last time. Korkie simply give her a salute. Amis and the rest of the guards followed suit. Her mother simply gave her a smile and bowed her head. Odette swallowed the lump in her throat and returned the gesture before turning and finally getting onto the shuttle.

Ashoka sat beside her in the back as Anakin took off. Once they were in hyperspace, Odette finally allowed herself to cry. "Ahsoka, take over." Anakin ordered as he set the autopilot. He walked into the back and sat down beside Odette. He was quiet for a moment before speaking up. "It doesn't get easier."

Odette wiped her eyes as she tried to get her breathing settled. The jedi continued to speak as she collected herself. "I left my mother when I was a few years younger than you are now. I grew up seeing her as the brightest light in my life. Leaving her to become a Jedi was the hardest thing, but at the time it was what was right for me." Odette listened as Master Skywalker continued. "Just before the war started, I had the chance to find her. I was able to meet her and talk to her before she died in my arms." Odette was shocked, feeling the hurt billow off of the Jedi sitting beside her. "I know how much it hurts right now, but know that there is a chance you will see her again."

Odette nodded as Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Master Skywalker." The rest of the trip was quiet and somber, but no more tears were shed.

Once they landed at the Jedi temple, they were greeted by Master Yoda and Master Kenobi. "Successful, your mission was." Yoda chuckled as Ahsoka stood before him. He then looked past her at Odette, her eyes still a bit red. "Much pain there is, to graft a branch onto a tree. As is the will of the force. Towards your destiny, it will lead you."

Odette shook her head as the Jedi spoke. "Master, I don't understand."

Obi-wan cleared his throat. "What he means to say, is that you have been through a lot today, Odette. It won't get easier, but we are here to help. Starting today, you will be my Padawan." He noticed Odette perk up a bit. "You have quite a bit of work to do to catch up to Ahsoka and the rest in your age group.

Odette nodded, grateful for something to work towards. "I will work hard, I promise."

* * *

I may have teared up while writing this chapter. I knew I needed to pull her off of Mandalore. That way she can grow as a jedi and become a bit more independent/confident. Not to mention I wanted to have some Daddy-Daughter moments. (Even if they're relation is a secret)

And so far this is the longest chapter. hopefully I get a few more chapters that are around this length. Anyway, please let me know what you think of the story so far.

Thank you for reading/following/favoriting my little story. it makes me happy to know someone enjoys my little stories/fantasies/deep-set-desires.


	9. Settling

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette stood on the bridge of the Negotiator. They were orbiting the planet Kamino, the home world of the clones. Master Kenobi and Skywalker were down on the planet's surface. She had been told to stay with the blockade and report from there.

It was quiet as they waited for Grievous to arrive. She had heard quite a lot about General Grievous, nothing good. Odette hoped she would never have to fight him alone, but knew it might come up at some point.

She adjusted her armor a bit, a nervous habit of hers. She had been rather surprised when her aunt had sent her back her armor, a gesture that her denouncement had been denied. Odette was grateful to have her armor back, even if it was now painted 212th gold. With her slightly altered Jedi robes she was only able to utilize more than half of the armor plates, including her helmet. It helped her to feel a bit more normal with everything that had happened.

Her attention was brought back to reality as a Separatist fleet came out of hyperspace. "Status?" Odette asked.

"Deflector shields at maximum." Someone spoke up. "Separatist fleet is moving into attack position."

"Hold position." Odette advised as they continued to strengthen their defenses. "Admiral Yularen, you ready?" She looked over at the hologram standing beside her.

Yularen nodded as the enemy fleet began its attack. "Alert central command." He ordered as the alarms began to sound. "Launch all fighters."

As the battle progressed, Odette frowned as she took count off all the debris falling to earth. "I'm going to press the attack." Anakin spoke over the com-link.

"Wait." Odette was surprised as she and Master Kenobi spoke at the same time. "Sorry Master."

Obi-wan chuckled. "It's alright. Anakin, this is too easy. Even Grievous wouldn't attack this recklessly."

"Master, the battle is up here in space." Anakin argued.

"But all of the debris is falling to the planet." Odette spoke up. "And those are some pretty large chunks of ship. How much damage are you doing?"

Anakin paused for a moment. "Actually, not that much."

Odette could tell they were all thinking along the same lines. "I'm going to see what is going on." Obi-wan spoke through the coms. "For now, make sure nothing large reaches the planet's surface."

"On it master." Odette spoke up. "You heard him Master Skywalker. I'll leave debris redirecting to you, send it away from the planet as best as you can. Admiral Yularen and I will work on breaking them down with the heavy canons."

"You got it." Anakin responded as he changed his flight path.

After several moments they heard back from Master Kenobi. "I can't see anything yet."

"Only you would be worried about the ships I already shot down." He chuckled as he continued on with the battle. Whatever response Obi-wan gave next, was lost in communication. "Master? Obi-wan!? They're jamming us. He found something down there."

"Then get topside." Odette suggested. "Admiral Yularen and I will take it from here."

"Good luck." Anakin spoke before heading back to the city.

Odette looked out over the battle, wondering how best to finish this. "Admiral, I'm heading out." Odette turned and made her way to the main hanger. She put her Mandalorian helmet on as she got into a yellow and blue Jedi speeder and powered it up. "Ready R6?" The little astromech beeped in response. "Then let's get out there."

She flew out of the hanger and dove into the battle. She shot down vulture droids as she got the layout of the battle. Odette frowned as she noticed how the transports seemed to be throwing themselves into the line of fire. "All troops, ignore the transports and go for the control ship. We take that down, the droids turn off. Admiral Yularen, disable the transports with as little damage as you can."

"Good luck to you, Commander Kryze." Yularen answered before adjusting their plan of attack.

"Alright, boys, on me. We're going after that control ship." Odette got her weapons system adjusted. "Fighters, keep fire off of the bombers. Bombers, hit it with whatever ion torpedoes you got."

"Yes sir!" A chorus of voices spoke through the coms as the men rallied behind her.

R6 beeped in a worried tune. "Relax Risk, it's just a little more realistic than the simulator, and 100% more deadly." Odette really hoped this would be similar to the simulator they had at the training academy.

After some time, they finally managed to bring down some of the defenses on the control ship, and almost all of the transports were disabled. "Odette, come in."

"I read you master." Odette answered Master Kenobi's call.

"Grievous and Ventress are making their escape. See if you can cut them off." Odette did a quick scan for any ship coming out of the atmosphere.

"R6, can you find them?" Odette asked as she maneuvered away from incoming fighters. R6 beeped as he found something. "What do you mean the Separatist fleet is about to jump to hyperspace?" She quickly checked the position of her troops. Many of them were in the path of the retreating ships. "All ships, get clear of the separatist fleet, they're about to jump to hyperspace. Risk, where's our target?"

"Commander look out!" Odette twisted her ship out of the way as an incoming ship flew through where she had been.

Odette quickly sped off after the ship. "R6, load an ion torpedo." R6 beeped out unhappily. "What do you mean we're all out. You know this would go a lot smoother if you told me these things." She complained as she followed the ship. She made a quick dive as the ship reached one of the functioning separatist ships and it immediately jumped to hyperspace. "Damn it."

"No luck?" Obi-wan asked through the com.

"I'm sorry master." Odette apologized.

"It's alright, I'm still trying to catch Grievous." Obi-wan chuckled, hoping to raise his Padawan's mood. "At least this battle ended in our victory. Good job up there."

"Thank you, Master." Odette still felt bad about letting Grievous and Ventress escape, but at least Kamino was safe. "We'll be down shortly to pick you all up."

"Much appreciated." Obi-wan answered.

Odette turned off her defense systems as she turned back towards the fleet. "Alright boys, let's pack up. The day is ours." She heard a bunch of cheering over the coms. She flew into the hanger and parked her fighter beside Master Kenobi's. She got out and removed her helmet before turning back to R6. "Good work out there buddy." He beeped happily as he ejected himself from the fighter.

Odette walked with her helmet on her hip towards the transport ships. "Alright, let's go pick up the General and Commander Cody."

The flight to the surface as quick and smooth. Odette stepped off the transport and onto the city where clones were made. She easily spotted Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker. "Looks like you all made it."

"Nothing too badly damaged." Anakin responded. "Not bad up there. You fly better than Obi-wan."

"Flying is for droids." Obi-wan responded with a hint of annoyance.

Odette raised an eyebrow at this exchange. "Okay." She then looked over at the clones. "Hello again Captain Rex."

"Hey kid." Rex greeted the Mandalorian. "So, you a Jedi now?"

"Yep." Odette answered with a smile as she shifted her helmet. "Master Kenobi is training me."

"He replaced me already." Anakin joked.

Odette grinned. "Well, to be fair, you stole Ahsoka from him." She chuckled as Anakin looked a bit confused and Obi-wan grinned. "Ahsoka mentioned how when she first met you both, you both were under the impression she was assigned to Master Kenobi. So technically he is finally getting a Padawan to replace the one you stole."

"I didn't even want a Padawan at the time." Anakin argued.

"And yet you kept her around." Obi-wan was enjoying teasing Anakin.

"Snips would have never made it as your Padawan. She's far to reckless for you to handle." Anakin looked between Obi-wan and Odette, they would get along.

Obi-wan shrugged. "Either way, it worked out in the end. I doubt I could have trained both Ahsoka and Odette. So, for better or worse, things worked out as they were meant to." He then turned towards Cody. "Let's get going. No doubt something is going to come up in the next few hours."

Odette turned to leave when Rex spoke up. "Hey kid, good work out there."

"Thank you, Captain." Odette answered, giving the captain a sincere smile.

Rex chuckled while shaking his head. "The name's Rex, Commander Kryze."

"I'll try to remember that." Odette teased as she put her helmet on a followed Obi-wan and Cody back towards the transport.

* * *

First battle done. I love battle sequences, but I don't think I am any good and writing them. They play out so great in my head, and then I just can't get the words down. So, apologies for the terrible fighting that is to come in later chapters.

3 chapters in one day...no wonder i'm tired. but i guess this kind of makes up for not posting in a while. I need to work on consistency.


	10. Meditating

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette sighed as she watched her Master leave with Quinlan Vos. They were going out to retrieve Zero the Hutt and arrest a bounty hunter named Cad Bane. Obi-wan had chosen to leave her behind since it would be easier with just the two Masters.

She turned and headed back into the temple, hoping to find something to occupy her time. Odette soon arrived at the training room, finding Master Skywalker training on his own. "Where's Ahsoka?" She asked. Maybe she could train with the togruta for a bit.

Anakin took a breather from his training. "She's out on a mission accompanying Senator Amidala." He looked over at Obi-wan's Padawan, she seemed disappointed. "You looking to do some training?"

"I was hoping maybe to do some sparring." Odette watched as Anakin walked over took a ready stance with his saber. "Um, I'm not that skilled." She took her saber staff from her belt. Her master had been surprised when she had built the twin bladed saber, but supposed it suited her.

"Then let's work on it." Anakin waited for Odette to prepare herself. She turned on her double bladed saber and took a ready stance. Once he thought she was ready, he rushed forward.

Odette quickly blocked Anakin's jab. She then twisted and disengaged before retaliating. They went on for a few moments, attacking and blocking as they moved around the room. The spar ended when Anakin knocked Odette back and held his saber in front of her face. "Yield." Odette spoke up as she turned off her saber.

Anakin turned his off and held out his hand to help her up. "Not bad, your foot work needs a few adjustments." He quickly set her stance for beginning. "Now, while this is the formal starting position, you won't always get a chance to take it during battle. So feel free to adapt and change things up."

Odette nodded as she observed how her feet were positioned. "Master Kenobi has been having me read about the various forms, but none of them feel right."

Anakin nodded. "It's more the style of fighting rather than the actual moves themselves." He explained carefully. "You have a style yourself." He pointed out. "During our spar you would wait for the last possible moment and move as little as possible to avoid my attack. It put you in a good position for your counter attacks."

"But you dodged or blocked every one." Odette pointed out.

"True, but that's only because of the style I use." Anakin added. "Your reflexes are very good as well."

Odette shrugged. "My aunt helped with that one. Your little flying balls are sluggishly slow compared to what I am used to training with."

"Mandalore certainly knows how to train good fighters." Anakin admitted. "One of the few planets that was actually dangerous for Jedi, back in the day." He chuckled thinking how less friendly than the comment might have sounded out loud. "Let's practice with a single blade. You won't always have the luxury of using both."

"Alright." Odette deactivating one of her blades. She held her saber more in front of her and took a different ready stance. "Ready?"

Anakin grinned as he ignited his blade and attacked. "Spread your arms to give yourself more leverage." He deflected her first swing and blocked her follow up. "Good. Keep your blade moving. Move your hands along your hilt to keep your opponent guessing how far your reach is." He continued to coach her as they moved around the room.

After ten minutes, Anakin called off the training. Odette turned off her blade and leaned on her knees as she took a breath. She had been trying her hardest the entire time, but Skywalker didn't even seem winded. "Not bad. Just need to work on that stamina a bit." Anakin watched as the Padawan straightened up. She hung her saber on her belt once more. "Let's meditate."

Odette was a bit surprised. "Master Kenobi said you hate meditating."

Anakin rolled his eyes as he led her towards one of the outer gardens of the temple. "I don't hate it, I just find it difficult sometimes." He sat under the large tree, taking a deep breath of the woody scent. "It's easy out here. The rustling leaves, the sun shining down, and you can just faintly hear the world around you. You can hear the living things that make up the living force. This is how I meditate."

Odette sat down and focused on what Master Skywalker was talking about. She had meditated with Master Kenobi in the room of a thousand fountains and various other meditation rooms inside the temple. It had been peaceful in the silent air and the calm presence of others, but there was a different kind of peace here. The living force wrapped around her, assuring her that the world was alive and thriving. It thrummed and beat with her own heart, anchoring her yet setting her free.

"Can you feel it?" Anakin asked as he looked over at the Padawan.

Odette smiled as she returned to herself. "I do. I think I might like this spot more than the fountain room. The first time I saw it I kind of wanted to go swimming."

Anakin laughed with the girl. "Glad to know I'm not the only one that thought that." They both laughed a bit more. "You know, you're not what I though you would be."

"What do you mean?" Odette asked, not understanding what he was getting at.

"You're the daughter of a Duchess. Not to mention from a neutral system." Anakin pointed out. "I guess I didn't think you would be the exact opposite."

Odette shrugged. "Guess you can't judge a book by it's cover."

"Join you, may I?" They both looked over as Master Yoda spoke up. He was standing right in front of them. "Adjusting well, are you, Padawan Kryze?"

Odette nodded as the Jedi master watched her. "I'm doing alright. I miss my mother, but I guess it's to be expected. I've lived with her my entire life."

"Dangerous, attachments can be." Yoda spoke. "But useful, connections can be. If held on too tightly, break and cause pain they do. Let go too soon and pain it still causes. A balance there must be, in such matters."

Anakin and Odetted shared a look of confusion as the older Jedi spoke. "Master, I thought the code said all forms of attachment are forbidden." Anakin asked, trying to get a clear answer.

Yoda hummed as he thought. "Thought on the matter, I have. A change in the galaxy, there has been. Need for more change, there is."

Odette thought on something one of her teachers had once said. "The universe is always changing, that is the only fact that will never change."

Yoda chuckled. "What wisdom you possess for one so young." He chuckled again as the girl became a bit embarrassed. "Right you are."

"Master, what does this mean?" Anakin still wasn't sure what Master Yoda was trying to say.

Yoda frowned. "Unsure, I still am. Strengthen you, your bonds do. Careful, you must be, lest they be used against you." With that said he got up and left the two to think on what he had said.

"Well, that was strange." Anakin remarked as he watched the old master leave. "What do you think he meant?"

Odette couldn't help her mind from going to something her mother had said to her. "I think I get it. Back when my mother traveled to Coruscant, I asked her why she didn't want me to go with her. She asked me what I would do if her life was weighed against the life of another or many others. She asked what I would do to keep her safe." Odette still stood by the answer she had come across back then. "I would have done anything to keep my mother safe."

"Anything is a dangerous thing." Anakin said, knowing his answer would probably be the same for certain people. One person in particular.

"I know, but I would have done it to save my mother, even if it got me, or others killed." Odette hated that that was her answer, but it was the truth. "I think that is what Master Yoda was getting at. Its not having the bond or the people we have the bond with, it's the type of bond. If you are so dependent on someone, that you can't live without them, that's the bond that will lead you to do anything to keep them safe."

"Is it so bad to want to protect someone?" Anakin asked. "Isn't that our job as Jedi?"

Odette shook her head. "I don't know. It's all making my head hurt and getting all confusing."

Anakin gave off a light chuckle. "That happened sometimes after a talk with Master Yoda." He stood up and stretched. "Shall we get back to training? I want to see how your force manipulation is." he headed back into the temple, knowing the Padawan would follow.

"Coming master." Odette called as she got up and followed Skywalker inside. He was a pretty good teacher.

* * *

Yeah, the attachment code is not a favorite of mine. It's understandable of why they have it, but I still hate it. It causes needless complications. But since the Jedi are suppose to be impartial parties in conflicts, it makes sense that they aren't suppose to form attachments. After all, attachments can lead to biases. Anyway, those are my thoughts on that little rule.

And yes i finally gave her a light saber. And yes i made it a staff. It is kind of similar to Maul's saber(long hilt and blades) but more sleek looking.


	11. Sensitive

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette and Ahsoka were out walking the streets of Coruscant. Their masters were off on some mission about a monster causing havoc across the galaxy. Meanwhile they got some time to hang out together.

Odette had her helmet on, preferring not to have her face publicized. "So, where are we going?" The buildings were much lower around this part, allowing the sun to shine on them.

"Master Kenobi mentioned this diner he was fond of." Ahsoka clarified. "Apparently it has low foot traffic and great food."

"Sounds like a hotspot for unsavory activities." The two shared a laugh as they continued to walk. "I never thought I would get used to the capital so quickly."

"It certainly grows on you." Ahsoka commented as they headed into a less populated part of the city. "That or you just get use to it." It wasn't long until they came across the small diner. "Is this it?" The two walked in and were immediately met with the delicious scent of food.

"Just the two of you sweet hearts?" The girls looked over as a droid spoke to them. "This way ladies." They followed her to a booth and sat down. "Here you go. I'll be back to take your order in a bit."

As the droid rolled away, Odette pulled off her helmet and set it aside. "It sure is quiet." She mused as she picked up the menu. There weren't too many items on the menu, but they all sounded good. "So, how did your most recent adventure with Senator Amidala go?"

"Not too badly." Ahsoka commented as she browsed the menu. She looked around before leaning in close. "We actually visited a Separatist Senator's home. If more people thought like her and Lux, I think this war might be over already."

Odette raised an eyebrow at the new name. "Lux? Another Senator?"

"No. He was the Senator's son." Ahsoka explained. "He wasn't what I expected a Separatist to be. He actually brought up a few points, how archaic the Senate is and how frustrating it can be. I have to admit, he knew what he was talking about."

Odette nodded as the girl spoke. "You know, you get this look when you talk about certain topics." Ahsoka gave her a raised eyebrow. "Ahsoka and Lux, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Her giggles died down as Ahsoka's leku flushed she tensed up. "Do you like him?"

Ahsoka quickly hushed her as the server droid returned. "We'll start with some glasses of juice please." The droid nodded before wheeling away. "I am not in love with him."

Odette held her hands up. "I said nothing about love. So you do like him." She giggled as Ahsoka hid her face in her hands. "It's okay to like someone. It happens. I have to ask though, is this your first crush?" Her giggles renewed as Ahsoka grumbled and laid her head on the table with a thud.

"You are not telling Anakin about this." Ahsoka points at her seriously.

Odette raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Seriously? Out of all the Jedi Masters to find out, Skywalker is probably the most understanding. He'll probably brush it off. Master Kenobi on the other hand would probably make you polish every fountain in the temple." The two giggled at the comparison. "Relax Ahsoka. You know Anakin better than me, and if I don't think he will rat you out, then you should definitely know he wouldn't turn on you." Odette could sense peace settle over her friend.

Ahsoka nodded. "Thanks Odette." They sat back as the droid handed them their drinks and took their orders before wheeling away again. "So, how's the 212th?"

"Not bad." Odette was getting quite comfortable in her new role. "Good mix of fighting or commanding fights. Although I think I prefer actually being out on the battlefield than in a command center."

"That is where the fun tends to happen." Ahsoka agreed completely with her fellow Padawan. "Other than that, how is training going? Heard you've been practicing with Skyguy."

"Master Skywalker certainly knows what he is doing." The two girls paused their conversation as their food was brought over. "It would be interesting to see him and Master Kenobi train together." She took a bite of her food, savoring the taste.

Ahsoka nodded. "I've seen them fighting together, but a spar between them would definitely be something to watch." They dissolved into silence as they ate their food. It was much better than the military rations they ate out in the field.

* * *

When the girls returned to the temple, they went to the training room. Ahsoka had been learning to fight with a shoto along with her standard lightsaber. Barriss had also joined them, being rather adept with two blades to the surprise of the others.

"I'm feeling kind of left out." Odette commented as she watched Ahsoka and Barriss practice. The moved fluidly around each other with their two blades.

"I'm sure Master Kenobi would let you practice Form VI as well." Barriss offered as Ahsoka paused for a breather. "Master Unduli is allowing me to practice the Form." She deactivated the training blades as they all sensed two Masters enter the training room.

They all looked to the door, finding Master Kenobi and Skywalker present. "Mind if we interrupt?" Obi-wan asked the padawan politely.

"Not at all." Odette spoke up. "Welcome back Master."

"How'd the mission go?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly, a bit confusing." He shared a brief look with Obi-wan. "But, it's over now, and we need to get back to training. Ready Snips?"

"You know it Master." She waved farewell to the other two girls before heading off with Anakin.

"I should go find Master Unduli as well." Barriss excused herself.

Odette then looked at Obi-wan, he seemed a bit troubled. "Is everything alright Master?"

Obi-wan was a bit surprised his Padawan had picked up something amiss, he had thought his shields would have prevented that. "Why don't we go meditate?" Odette stayed quiet as she followed Obi-wan through the temple and into the room of a thousand fountains. They sat across from each other as they both began to meditate.

Odette tried to focus on herself, but the waves of worry and hurt were just flowing off of her master. "Master, did something happen on the mission? I can sense there is something bothering you."

Obi-wan let out a sigh. "I suppose you are a lot more sensitive to emotions than Anakin was." He pulled out a small holo-projector from his belt. He pulled up an image of a large, hulking, yellow zebrac. "This is Savage Opress, the monster we were hunting down. He reminds me of someone from my past."

"Your past?" Odette was curious. She had heard about his adventures with her mother, but other than that she had no idea what his life was like. "Who?"

"Someone else of the same species." Obi-wan turned off the holo. "His name was Darth Maul. He was a Sith or an assassin trained as a Sith. I killed him back on Naboo, long before the war started. It was not even a day before I took Anakin on as my Padawan. It's what awarded me the title of Jedi Knight."

Odette could tell he was reminiscing, but he was also avoiding something. "But that's not why you remember Maul so well. What did he do?"

Obi-wan took a deep breath, pushing through a lump in his throat. "He killed my master, Qui-Gon Jinn. I held my master as he died. It was one of the few times I ever felt rage in battle. In that moment, I hated him. It was probably the darkest moment in my time as a Jedi."

"I'm sorry I brought it up." Odette apologized, feeling the hurt that still lingered around his master's death.

"Savage brought it up." Obi-wan corrected his Padawan. "I am simply talking my thoughts away." He chuckled, as he blinked back tears. He didn't think such an old wound would still affect him.

"Do you talk about things like this with Master Skywalker?" Odette watched as Obi-wan collected himself, putting up a wall to his emotions. "You two seem close."

Obi-wan nodded, knowing it was true. "He is like a brother to me, but it's hard to talk about certain matters."

"Personal matters." Odette added on, knowing what her master was getting at. "I've tried my hardest not to mention or even think of my mother. It's easier to mention Mandalore or my aunt, but not my mother. I miss her."

"Did she ever mention to you who your father was?" Obi-wan remembered Odette saying her mother didn't like to speak about the man. Perhaps she had opened up when Odette chose to leave Mandalore.

Odette slowly nodded, knowing he would be able to detect her lie through all of the emotions condensed around them. "My mother loved him very much, but could never tell him he was a father. I hope one day, I have the courage to tell him, but I'm not ready for that yet."

Obi-wan nodded. "It's a hard thing, to tell someone a secret. You never know how they will react or if they will treat it as precious as you do, but sometimes that risk needs to be taken." He took a deep breath as he continued to center himself. "Now, let's meditate. A strong body begins with a strong mind." Odette nodded as she and her master settled back into meditation, the tension gone from between them.

* * *

Emotions, can't live without them and they are a pain to live with. But it's what makes us different than machines.

And I don't have a complete knowledge of all Jedi lightsaber Forms, just basic knowledge. And I could not find that much jedi knowledge with saber-staffs since they are mostly a sith used weapon.


	12. Touch

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Today was a much different mission than usual. Odette and Ahsoka were accompanying Masters Skywalker and Kenobi to investigate a distress signal. What made this mission strange, was how old the code was.

"How long ago was this code used?" Ahsoka asked as she double checked the coordinates.

"A while ago." Anakin said. "Long before the clone wars."

"I think it was a few years before the civil war on Mandalore." Obi-wan added in. "I remember having to memorize some new codes when I was a Padawan." The computer beeped as they neared their destination. "Here we go."

As they dropped out of hyperspace, they were met with the vast emptiness of space. Anakin worked at the com-link. "Alright Rex, we're in position. We're are you?"

"General, we are at the rendezvous, but you are not on our radar." They all frowned as the Captain spoke.

"Strange." Anakin checked the Nava computer once more. "We're at the coordinates given to us. How can we both be at the same spot but not see each other?" He mused as he tried to find out what was wrong.

Ahsoka got out of her seat and looked out the front window. "What's that?" She asked, pointing at a dark spot in space. It slowly began to move, making it's size known.

The ship gave a jerk as it began to move towards the object. "We're caught in some kind of tractor beam or gravitational pull." Obi-wan spoke as he tried to pull them away from the object. "Looks like we are having one of our usual landings."

"I don't crash every time I fly." Anakin argued as they tried and failed to stop themselves from heading towards the large dark mass. Slowly the mass split in two, letting out a blinding white light. "Brace yourselves." Anakin called out as the light blinded them all.

* * *

Odette woke with a groan, she had no memory of landing. "I guess we blacked out." Anakin spoke as he woke.

"Than who landed the shuttle?" Obi-wan asked as he looked around.

"Not me." Ahsoka added as she straightened in her seat.

Obi-wan frowned as he looked outside the shuttle. "Where are we?" He didn't recognize any of the plant life.

Ahsoka checked the scanners. "Some kind of...organic mass?" Was her best guess judging from the readings. "All of our readings indicate that it is bigger than an asteroid, but at least the atmosphere is breathable."

Obi-wan tried to get the Nava computer working. "Well this is getting more unusual by the minute. I can't lock down where in the galaxy we are. Or if we are even in our own Galaxy."

Anakin shook his head as he tried to start the engine, but it wasn't working. "Well, the ship's computers seem fine, but for whatever reason nothing's working."

Odette got out of her seat and went into the back. "Then I guess we better take a look around. See if we can't find anyone to help." The others followed her outside. Odette stared out at the odd world they had landed on. The sky was a bright blue and the grass a bright green. Then there were rocks floating, as if there was no gravity.

"Did you here that?" Odette looked over as Anakin spoke.

"I didn't hear anything." Obi-wan answered as he looked through his scopes to try and spot something. A sudden presence had them all turning to a woman standing behind Anakin. "Hello."

"Who are you?" Anakin asked in confusion. She had certainly not been standing there when they had walked off the ship.

"I am Daughter." Odette held herself back from smacking her own forehead. The fact that Daughter's voice sounded like there was more than one helped her with that. "Are you The One." Daughter asked Anakin.

"The One what?" Anakin's confusion was easy to feel.

"I will take you to Him." Odette had to wonder if Daughter was even paying attention to the rest of them.

"Him who?" Ahsoka asked, trying to get more information out of this woman.

Obi-wan stepped forward, hoping to help move the conversation. "Did you bring us here?"

"Only He can help you." Daughter replied before beginning to walk away. "There is very little time. Follow me. We must have shelter before nightfall."

Odette watched as the woman walked, her cadence did not match the distance she was moving. "And we thought the planet was strange." Anakin commented as he looked back at them. "How about this one?"

"We'll be fine." Obi-wan reassured them. "As long as we stay together." With that said they all began following Daughter, hoping she could indeed help them.

After a bit of walking and observing the planet, they began to make observations. "Have you noticed the seasons seem to change with the time of day?" Obi-wan spoke.

"And there are no animals." Ahsoka added.

"And you sense it too?" Obi-wan directed the question towards Anakin, but she also knew what they were talking about.

"Yeah, since we arrived. The force is very strong." Odette had to agree with Master Skywalker.

"It's almost stifling." Odette spoke up, but it might just be that she was not yet used to being around the force so much.

Obi-wan nodded. "Be weary." He advised everyone as they pressed on.

Anakin increased his pace a bit. "Excuse me. Who are you taking us to?"

"The Father of course." Daughter answered matter-of-factly.

Odette found herself rolling her eyes with Ahsoka. "Of course." The two Padawans spoke together.

"And what exactly are you?" Obi-wan asked. He had never come across species like her in the galaxy before.

"We are the Ones who guard the Power." Daughter began to explain. "We are the Middle, the Beginning, and the End."

"Glad she cleared that up for us." Anakin added sarcastically.

Odette couldn't help but feel like there was more to what she said than just her words. Almost as if she was trying not to tell a secret, but still telling them the truth. It unsettled her as she began to think her riddle over. Not paying attention as time went on, and their surroundings began to die out.

"Look out!" Odette looked up as Anakin spoke up. She quickly grabbed onto Daughter and pulled her out of the way. Anakin dove forward, avoiding the falling rocks. "Are you alright?" He asked as he reached to help Daughter up.

Daughter whacked his hand away as she stood. "It is forbidden for you to touch me." Odette found it odd that Daughter had not yelled at her.

Daughter looked up at the collapsed cliff. "That was my Brother's work. You are in grave danger." She looked at Anakin with worry filled eyes. "Wait for me, do not leave this place."

Odette stood aside as Daughter walked past her and continued along the path. "Okay?" She was even more confused by the strange, multi-voiced, floating lady.

She turned back towards Anakin as he answered a call from Obi-wan. "Anakin? Are you and Odette alright?"

"Yeah." Anakin answered, a bit discouraged. "But our friend here has run off." He called towards Daughter who was still in sight, and probably ear-shot. "Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. We'll follow Her and figure out how to get off this rock."

"And if this is a trap?" Odette could tell they were both used to dealing with traps.

"Then I'm not going to wait around to find out." Anakin answered. "Besides, I've got Odette to cover my back."

"I think you meant to say clean up your mess." Odette added under her breath. She guessed Anakin heard her as he gave her an amused smirk. When they didn't get a response, they assumed the plan was set. "Let's get going before we lose sight of her."

Night fell quickly as they followed the trail after Daughter. They had lost sight of her when she had turned a bend. The sound of crackling thunder worried Odette. "I think we should find shelter. Daughter did say we had to before nightfall." As lightning struck the ground nearby, Anakin nodded in agreement.

They found a cave on the side of a cliff. "Over there." Anakin pointed out a dot of light atop a faraway mountain. "I have a feeling that is where we will find this Father."

"What do you think he is like?" Odette asked as Anakin planned out their route to their destination.

"Hopefully, more helpful than Daughter." He looked around before quickly jumping out of the cave and taking off running.

Odette was glad for her Jedi reflexes, otherwise she probably would have fallen far behind Anakin. Not to mention it helped her avoid being zapped by lightning. They all but sprinted through the mountains to where the Monastery was, and they didn't slow down when they reached it. Odette was grateful her endurance had increased so much that she was able to keep up with Master Skywalker.

Once they reached the door of the Monastery, they found it had no door at all, just a glowing light to pass through. Odette followed after Anakin, unsure about the feelings she was getting from the room. It felt cold, but comforting at the same time. Then warm and filled with dread the next moment. She did not like it.

"Stay close." Anakin advised the Padawan beside him as they began walking towards the man seated at the head of the room. Once they reached the front of the room, they found the old man to be meditating. Anakin shared a look with Odette before he took a seat at the foot of the pedestal.

Odette followed suit. She knew Obi-wan would be most crossed if they interrupted a man while he was meditating. She guessed Anakin had had the same thought, since they had both been taught by the same Master.

They did not need to wait long, as the man opened his eyes and looked at them. "Welcome my friend."

Odette looked from the old man to Anakin, she seemed to have been overlooked. Anakin looked over at Odette before answering the man, who was obviously Father. "What do you want from me?"

"To learn the truth about who you really are." Odette stayed silent as she listened intently. "One that maybe you have known all along." Father used the force to aid him in standing. "One you must believe, in order to fulfill your destiny."

Anakin stood and meet the man's gaze. "Enough with the riddles old man."

"It's like with master Yoda." Odette spoke up as the two looked at her. She got up to her feet. "Daughter spoke earlier about who you are. You're the Guardians of the Force, aren't you?"

"That is correct." Father answered with a smile. Thunder and lightning drowned out the silence that followed the revelation. "As you can see, there is no where else to go, and it is late. You shall both be my guests tonight." He lead them both towards rooms and bid them goodnight.

"Guardians of the Force?" Anakin asked as he looked at Odette. "I've never heard of them."

"I've come across old legends during some of my studies in the archive." Odette admitted. "But they sounded more like fairy tales or myths. I never thought they actually existed. Embodiments of the force." She looked to where Father had gone, but he was no where in sight. "And if that is what they are, then we are nothing more than specs of dust compared to their power and knowledge."

Anakin followed Odette's gaze, wondering what they had gotten themselves into. "Get some rest. Tomorrow we need to find Obi-wan and Ahsoka."

Odette nodded as she went into the room given to her. It was simple, much like her room at the temple. She set her saber beside the bed as she climbed into. Today was certainly not what she had expected. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Odette woke to an all too familiar sight, her room. She quickly threw her covers off of her. "What?" She searched the room, finding everything in it's proper place. She grabbed her saber and headed to the kitchen. "Mother?" She asked as she ran into the kitchen, it smelled like home.

Satine turned and chuckled. "Did you oversleep again? Your father is waiting upstairs to start your morning training." She went back to cooking, not seeing the confusion on her daughter's face.

"Father?" Odette asked as she looked up. She quickly ran over to the stairs and ran up towards the rooftop garden. She pushed open the door and was surprised to find Obi-wan meditating. Although, it took her a moment to recognize him, he had no beard and his hair was combed back like a Mandalorian. "Master?"

Obi-wan chuckled. "I haven't heard you call me that since you were five." He mused as he got to his feet. "And what have I told you about interrupting someone who is meditating?"

Odette shook her head. "But...we were on a mission...Anakin and Ahsoka...what happened?" She tried to put her thoughts together as Obi-wan walked up to her. "I don't understand."

Obi-wan placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Clear your mind, Odette. The answers will come then."

Odette nodded as she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She began to sense something, but was cut off as the city alarm began to blare. "What's happening?" She asked as she looked around.

"We better get inside." Obi-wan advised as he ushered his daughter back into the house. "Satine, we need to leave."

"Obi, what's happening?" Satine asked as she ran over to her husband and daughter.

"He's come." Odette didn't like the cold that crept up her arms as her father spoke. "The Sith are here." Obi-wan quickly ushered them towards the speeder, driving off towards one of the less used docks. There were a few small transports there. "Quickly, get onboard and start the engine."

Odette followed her mother, but stopped her when the force cried out in warning. As she looked around, she couldn't see anyone, but the force told her something was there. She held her staff and ignited a single blue blade. A red saber ignited in the shadow of a transport.

Obi-wan stood beside his daughter, igniting his own saber. "Stay close Odette."

"How interesting." Odette stayed cautious as a man dressed in all black walked out of the dark shadow. "A master and an apprentice. You need not die today. Pledge yourselves to the dark side, and join us. Together, peace shall reign throughout the galaxy."

"The Sith do not believe in peace." Obi-wan answered. "Nor can there ever be more than two."

The man raised his saber. "Then you die." In a swift moment, he was on them, attacking fiercely. Odette pushed her mother out of the way while her father engaged the Sith head on. She snuck in and pushed the Sith back, but he was powerful.

Odette ignited her second blade and pressed the attack. As she attacked, she aimed for a blind spot, but hesitated as his cape blocked her vision for a moment. She felt her misstep and quickly corrected it as she avoided a cheap shot. Odette paused as she recognized the move. "Master Skywalker?" The Sith snapped his attention to her and pushed her back, throwing her into nearby crates.

"Odette!" Obi-wan called out. He attacked the Sith once more. "You will not touch her again."

Odette slowly pushed herself up. It had to be Anakin, but why was he a Sith? She gasped as she felt the force constricting around her neck. She looked over and saw the Sith was indeed the one holding her, but he was also still fighting her father. Odette focused, feeling the force holding her and pushed against it, breaking it's hold.

Before the Sith could try again, Odette ducked down to catch her breath. She then turned to the crate she was hiding behind, pushing it out with as much force as she could muster. She followed after the crate, hoping to catch the Sith off guard.

The Sith stopped the crate in it's tracks, crushing it before tossing it away. "Did you think that would work, Padawan?" Odette looked around, but could not see her father. "Are you perhaps looking for him?" The Sith stepped aside, revealing Obi-wan, cut in two. "Your master was weak, but you are strong. Join me, together we shall bring peace to the galaxy."

Odette found herself staring at the corpse of her father. She was very much reminded of the man that had jumped to his death when she had first met Obi-wan. Just like then, there wasn't as much blood as she would have thought. She looked up at the Sith with a deep burning anger. "Murderer!" She shouted as lightning jumped from her hand towards the black clad man.

She breathed deeply as her energy seemed to leave her. She looked at the Sith, not surprised to see him still standing. He slowly walked up to her as he removed his mask, revealing Anakin's face, but his eyes were Sith yellow. "Now, no one will remember the name Anakin Skywalker." Odette closed her eyes as his red saber slashed across her neck.

* * *

Odette woke with a gasp. She reached up, feeling her intact neck. "Do you see why things progressed the way they did?" She looked beside her as Father spoke form his seated position. "Why you were alone?" Odette simply nodded, not having the voice to answer. "What is it you are afraid of, my child?"

Odette stared at her lap. "I don't know." She whispered. She looked over at Father, but he was gone. Odette sighed heavily. "Well that's just great. Now I'm talking to myself."

"I'm listening." Odette jumped to her feet as the other voice spoke. "He tends not to care much for what others have to say." Son chuckled as the young Jedi pulled her lightsaber to her hand. "A cautious one, good. Caution allows one to make a proper decision."

"Who are you?" Odetted asked.

"I am Son." Odette could see the family resemblance in his answer. "And it seems I am needed elsewhere." With a flash of lightning, Son was gone.

"Okay." Odette clipped her saber to it's holder on her belt before she left the room. She could see daylight starting to peak through the windows. "Guess I should find Master Skywalker." She paused as she remembered her dream, and the fear she had felt. She shook her head. "Just a vision, nothing real."

She didn't find Anakin in his room, so she went about searching the Monastery. It was hard to find a force signature considering this entire place was made of the force. "How am I ever going to find anything?" Odette was surprised when she came across a large circular door, half of the design was in black while the other was white. The more she looked at the door, the more she realized something was off. "There's too much white." She looked around the room, trying to see if there was someway to fix it.

With nothing in the room to help her, she walked closer to the door. As she touched the door, she could feel how to solve the puzzle. "There are only white pieces on the door. It's black underneath." Odette quickly pulled out the unnecessary pieces, putting the pattern back into balance. The room shuddered as the door rolled away, revealing a large room.

Odette slowly walked into the room, surprised to find herself in what looked like outside. She looked back to the door, finding it to be a circle cut out of a mountain. "This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder." She continued on, feeling the force pull her along. It wasn't long until weird bug like things began scuttling about. Odette stayed calm, hoping they would leave her be.

A deep chuckling stopped her in her tracks. "Most tend to kill the krykna first and ask questions later." Odette looked aorund, trying to find where the double voice was coming from. It was not Son or Father, and definitely not Daughter. "So, who does that make you?"

Odette noticed a large shadow covering her. She turned and looked at the large creature towering over her. "O-Odette...my name is Odette Kryze."

"Odette Kryze, what makes you different than most?" The large creature leaned down, looking at her through clouded eyes.

Odette paused for a moment. "Well, I'm not like other Jedi. I was brought into the order far past any age they normally accept. I use blasters as well as my saber. Other than that, I don't really know." She looked back at the creature, wondering if it could see her. "Who are you?"

"I am Bendu." Odette nodded as it answered very similar to how Son and Daughter had. "And you are much more than what you believe you are." She frowned as Bendu looked back towards the door. "Do you see those crystals above the door? Take them with you as you leave." With that said, he crouched back down, blending into the surrounding landscape.

Odette wasn't too sure what Bendu was, but at least he got to his point. She walked back over to the door. Sure enough there were two crystals above the door. They fit together into a circle. One half was white and the other was black. Odette had to stretch to be able to grab the crystals, but they came free very easily.

As she walked through the door, it rolled back into place, locking away whatever world the Bendu lived in. "Well that was weird." Odette looked back at the crystals in her hand. She tucked them away into a pouch, hoping not to lose them. "Now to get out of here." She turned to a door and pushed it open, surprised to find herself atop the Monastery. "Huh? I'm pretty sure I never went up a set of stairs."

"Odette." She turned as Ahsoka called to her. "Glad to see you're okay."

"Same to you both." Odette looked from Ahsoka to Obi-wan.

"Your ship is this way." The three of them followed as Daughter led them around the Monastery.

Sure enough their ship was there. "Ahsoka, check and make sure the systems are working. Let's not stay longer than we have to." Obi-wan instructed before turning to his Padawan. "Are you alright? You seem shaken."

Odette crossed her arms as she thought things over in her mind. "I had a vision of what my life could have been like if my parents had stayed together. And, while I know it's not possible, I...I miss it." She couldn't bring herself to look at Obi-wan. "Master, there is something I want to tell you. It's something I've been struggling with and I think it would be best if I-" she stopped as Obi-wan pulled her into a hug.

"I know." Odette found herself stunned as Obi-wan spoke. "Satine told me before you left Coruscant. She asked that I wait until you were ready."

Odette giggled as she wrapped her arms around her father. "It was probably for the best." They stayed like that for a moment more before releasing each other. Odette took a step back. "This is going to complicate things a bit, isn't it?"

"We'll work through it." Obi-wan assured her before turning to see Anakin joining them. "Ready to get out of here?"

Anakin took a moment and looked back at the Monastery. He then turned and got onto the ship. They took off and began their journey. "Anakin, give me a hand here." Obi-wan asked as he tried to fly them away from the planet.

Anakin shook his head. "Still not a fan of flying master?" He sat in the co-pilot seat and worked the controls, but something was off. "Odette, Ahsoka, check the back. Something is not right with the Nava computer."

"Kind of makes me wish we had brought R2." Ahsoka commented as she get an checking her side. "Nothing out of order here. Odette, what about your side?"

"Nothing amiss here." She commented as she checked one more system, but it was working just fine. She had to agree with Ahsoka, a droid would be useful right about now.

"I swear this place did something to the ship." Ahsoka commented as she crossed her arms while looking towards the cockpit.

Odette agreed. "I'm pretty sure all three of them are too powerful for their own good."

"True, in some regards." Odette and Ahsoka turned as the Son spoke from just behind them. The doors to the cockpit shut as the Son morphed into a creature of darkness and grabbed onto both Padawans. The door opened as the Son gave a laugh and dove out of the ship, both girls in his claws.

Odette punched the creature's foot, but it felt like she was punching a rock. "Let us go!" She growled as sparks danced on her fingers. She grabbed onto the foot, sending sparks up the creature's leg. The creature gave a cry as it flung her across the air. Odette let out a shout as she crashed into rocks, knocking her out.

* * *

Odette woke laying on the floor, her body aching. She slowly pushed herself up, wondering where she was now. "Ahsoka?" She called out, hoping for a response. The cell she was in was rather bare, and solid walls blocked her from seeing any adjacent cells. "Ahsoka can you hear me?" Her voice echoed around the room.

Odette growled in frustration as she got to her feet. She couldn't fully stand up, the chain connecting her bound hands to the floor was too short to allow that. "Oh come on." She tugged at the binding, trying to free herself. After a few moments, she let out another growl, managing to bend the binders on her hands.

"My my," Odette tensed as she tried to find the source of the voice. "How powerful you are." She was shocked when a creature with long lanky arms climbed up the barred door of her cell.

Odette shook her head, realizing what she had done. "Jedi don't act out with emotions. They think things through and calmly make decisions. That was a mistake." She sat and calmly examined the damaged binders. She could probably free herself.

"But you made progress." Odette kept an eye on the creature as she continued to work. "It would be faster if you did it again."

Odette got to her feet as the creature moved towards her. "Who are you?" she watched him cautiously, weary if he would try to do anything.

The creature scratched his bare head with his long unkept nails. "I have been here so long, I have forgotten." He then looked back at Odette with his red eyes. "Now, try again."

Odette looked from the creature to her binders. She took a deep breath as she reached for the binders with the force, but no matter how much she concentrated they kept slipping form her grasp. She growled in frustration as she pushed the force outwards from her hand, giving up on fine control. The binders snapped off in an instant.

Odette felt a wave of dizziness over take her as the creature began to laugh. "Well done, apprentice."

"You're the Son." Odette stumbled to her knees as she tried to stop her vision from swimming. Something was pressing against her mind. It was painful and disorientating.

Son slowly walked around the young Jedi as clouds of darkness circled her. "Do not resist me." He lifted her chin and grinned as her eyes had begun to take on a yellowish color, but there was still so much light in them.

Odette turned her chin out of his hand. "I will. I won't let you win." Her hand slipped as her strength continued to leave her.

Son frowned as he watched the Padawan struggle against the dark side. "Then you will die." He watched as she became weaker, almost to the point of loosing consciousness again. He stopped as he sensed others arriving. "It seems my sister has decided to pay me a visit. I will return. Think over my offer cautiously."

Odette gasped as the darkness lifted from her. It had felt all to similar to what she had experienced in her vision. She shook herself awake as she examined her surroundings again, looking for a way out.

She walked over to the cell door slowly. She was surprised to find that it swung open without any resistance. "Well, guess the locks aren't the main concern." She looked around the new room, finding a door on each of the walls. She walked straight ahead and opened the door. Odette let out a sigh as she found a room exactly like the one she was currently in. "Great, now a puzzle."

After passing through a few doors and finding nothing but the same room with the same doors, Odette began to lose hope of ever finding her way out. She took a deep breath. "Stay calm, there is no need to get emotional. The planet is made of the force, it can lead me out." She slowly relaxed her mind and reached out to the force. At first she felt the icy tendrils of the dark side wrap around her, drawing her attention.

"Focus, Odette. Find the light." She pep talked herself as she pushed through the darkness, digging towards a brightness just ahead. "There." Odette opened her eyes and followed the force through multiple doors. She stopped when the light suddenly vanished, allowing the dark side to take over.

Odette felt her head swim again as she sank to the floor, her hand still holding onto a door. "No, I won't give in." She pushed herself to her feet, shuffling through the door. She tripped over her feet, landing in the middle of another room with doors. "There has to be some way out."

"Child." Odette looked over as she heard a voice call to her. It sounded familiar. She pushed herself up and shuffled over to the door, it looked different from the others. She pushed open the door, grateful when fresh air hit her face.

"Odette!" Ahsoka called over as she ran up to her friend. "Are you okay?"

Odette found herself regaining her strength each second she stood. "Better now." She watched as Ahsoka continued to check her over. "What are you looking for?"

"A bite mark or something." Ahsoka explained. "The last thing I remembered was this gangly little creature biting me. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"No bite mark on me." Odette announced. She hugged herself as a shiver ran up her spine. "Let's get out of here." The others nodded in agreement. They found their ship exactly where they had left it. Even in the same condition. "I'm guessing Master Skywalker was flying." Odette assumed as she and Ahsoka climbed onto the ship.

"Very funny." Anakin commented as he sat down on the ramp of the ship. Odette and Ahsoka pulled up the floor panel and began taking a look at the system. Hopefully they could still fix it.

* * *

After a few hours of working, the two were pretty sure they could get the shuttle back in working condition. Meanwhile another storm had picked up outside.

"I'm getting a little tired of how unreliable the weather is here." Obi-wan commented as he stared off into the downpour.

"Some say it's part of the appeal." Anakin quipped back at his old master.

"You did well Anakin." Obi-wan thought for a moment. "How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure we're doing the right thing by leaving." Anakin admitted. "The Son is consumed by the dark side."

"And if we stay, we may be used to the dark side's advantage." Obi-wan was also concerned about what they should be doing.

Odette pulled herself up between the pilots seats as Ahsoka stood up on some pipes. "So," Ahsoka got the two masters attention. "Do you want the bad news, or the really bad news?"

"Well, let's try the bad news laced with a little optimism." Obi-wan offered as an alternative.

"We've got two cracked shylo pins, a busted power converter, the engine should be powered twice to empty debris, and the back up vents need charging." Ahsoka listed off.

"Sounds terribly downbeat." Obi-wan admitted. "Can it be fixed?"

"We can reroute the primary initiator, weld the dampening vents, and that might give us enough power to leave the atmosphere." Odette offered. "After that, there are no guarantees she'll hold together."

Obi-wan had to admit, it was better than nothing. "We'll have to take our chances. Better than staying here."

Odette jumped back into the mechanics with Ahsoka. "Shall we?" She asked as she pulled her goggles back down.

"Watch your hair. We don't need it getting stuck in the vents." Ahsoka warned.

"I've been thinking of cutting it." Odette admitted as she tossed a curl out of her face. They worked quietly for a few hours, taking turns resting.

"Here." Both girls looked over as Obi-wan offered them both a drink. "We need to change our tactics. Focus on the firing drives, disengage them."

Ahsoka and Odette were surprised. "But we're just about done putting this piece of junk back together." Ahsoka argued. "And now-"

"Just do as I say." Obi-wan implored them. "We don't have much time."

Ahsoka looked over at Odette. The two just shrugged before getting to work. They worked simultaneous, fixing and disabling the ship.

"Ahsoka. Odette. Keep an eye on the ship. I'm going to find Anakin." Both girls peeked out as Obi-wan called to them before taking off in the other speeder stored on the ship. The two girls continued working, hoping nothing terrible had happened.

Odette gave a shiver as she sensed something shift in the force. "You okay?" Ahsoka asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Just a chill I can't shake." Odette said as they kept working. She climbed up and sat in one of the pilot seats. "I'm going to try the coms again." She pushed buttons and prayed it would work. She was rewarded when the system responded. "Finally. This is Jedi shuttle calling on all secure channels for help. Do you read? I repeat we are stranded and need immediate evac. Come in please." She pushed the call button a few more times. "The system is responding, but I'm not getting a signal."

"Maybe the atmosphere is interfering?" Ahsoka offered as an explanation.

"Odette, come in please." The two paused as Odette's com beeped. "Odette can you hear me?"

Odette answered the call. "I hear you master. Any success with Anakin?"

"No." The two became worried. "Quite the opposite."

"Master, what are you saying?" Odette did not like where this was going.

"Anakin has joined with the Son." Odette could see the worry on Ahsoka's face as she processed the news. "Do not engage him."

"But-" Odette placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder as she reacted.

"Just do as I say." Obi-wan instructed firmly. "Listen to me, you have to disable the ship."

"But we just finished putting it back together." Odette argued.

"Odette, please listen." She could hear the desperation in her father's voice. "We have to prevent Anakin and the Son from leaving."

Odette and Ahsoka shared a look, knowing it was their only plan. "Yes Master." As they hung up, they could hear a speeder heading their way. "Pulling the control modulator." She announced as she pulled the piece out of the dashboard.

"Let's go." Ahsoka spoke as she leapt up and suspended herself over the walkway.

Odette felt her head swim as she turned to follow suit. "Ahsoka, take it." She tossed the part to her friend as she sat down, trying to steady herself.

She stayed still as the speeder parked itself and Anakin entered the ship. Anakin walked past her and into the cockpit. "What have you done?" Odette stayed calm as Anakin approached her. He lifted her up with the force. "Where is it?" He demanded as his yellow eyes bored into her muddy blue eyes.

Odette tried not to recall her vision of him dressed in all black, but with how things were playing it was rather hard. "Give her to me." Anakin dropped her as the Son spoke. She looked up at him as he knelt beside her. "Don't be afraid. Together we can make the best parts of your vision a reality." He offered his hand to her. "Join us, and together the Galaxy will know peace."

Odette reached out, taking his hand. "I just want my family to be together." At once she felt her strength returning. She could see it clearly now. The Jedi code was what was keeping her family apart. It was time to do away with the past once and for all. "No child should be taken form their parents or kept from them." She looked over at Anakin. "We should not have to chose between our duty and our love."

Anakin nodded. "What did Ahsoka take?"

"The Control Modulator. We aren't going anywhere without it." Odette regretted helping Ahsoka disable the ship. "And I've already tried the coms, I can't reach anyone." Anakin growled in frustration at Odette's report.

"My father still has hold over this world." The Son lamented.

"If I know my old Master, he will also try to stop us." Anakin added and Odette agreed completely. "If they join forces with Father, they will pose a problem."

"I know of a way to turn the tide in our favor." Son spoke. "I will return. Wait here." He turned into a creature, taking off into the night.

"What did he show you?" Odette and Anakin looked at Father as he spoke.

"I have seen what I will become, and I will not let that happen." Anakin explained.

"And for this reason you have joined him?" The Father seemed rather disappointed. "Your destiny can change just as quickly as the love in one's heart can fade. Nothing is set in stone."

Anakin shook his head. "But I will cause so much pain."

"If there is to be balance, what you have seen...must be forgotten." Odette kept a hand on her blade as Father touched Anakin's forehead, knocking him out. He then turned to her. "I sense no anger or hatred, but the darkness clings to you. Tell me child, why did you join my Son?"

"I'm done hiding." Odette admitted. "My life is nothing but shadows and lies. It will only continue as long as I stay a Jedi."

"Then why do you stay?" Odette found her mind calm as Father spoke. "Nothing is keeping you, no chains or locks. You stay because you know it is where you belong, where you are needed." She relaxed as Father walked up to her. "Now, what do you chose?" He offered his hand to her.

Odette paused as her hand hovered over his. Taking his hand would mean giving up her family. Would staying with the dark side really be so bad? If her father and mother refused to join her, she would have to fight them. In that regard, choosing the dark side would be foolish. Odette took a deep breath as she took Father's hand, collapsing to the ground.

* * *

Odette woke sitting in her seat aboard the Jedi shuttle. A hologram of Captain Rex was calling them. "General Skywalker, come in." The rest of the crew on the shuttle woke up, looking as confused as she felt.

"We read you Rex." Anakin answered. "Can you hear me?"

"Standing by Sir." Rex responded. "We were worried. You were off the scopes there for a moment."

Everyone shared a look before looking back at the holo. "A moment? We've been gone more than a moment Rex." Anakin looked at their computer, it looked like it had never taken any damage.

"Sir, I don't understand. You'll need to explain." Rex asked, matching their confusion.

"You...wouldn't believe me if I told you." Anakin admitted. "We're coming aboard."

Odette stayed quiet as they flew onto the cruiser and landed. She remembered what had happened so vividly. The power the Son, Daughter and Father had. The Bendu and the crystals he gave her. Even what Anakin had become, in both her vision and reality. What worried her the most, was what she had become so willingly and easily. Was the dark side where she belonged?

"Odette?" She looked up as Obi-wan sat in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes Master. Just a little out of it." She hoped he wouldn't dig too much into her feelings.

Obi-wan placed a hand over her's. "It will be alright." He got up from his seat. "Let's get going. I'm sure Cody is wondering when we are coming back."

"I think more so what we are up to next." Odette added as she got up and followed Master Kenobi, ready for their next mission.

* * *

I don't know if I was smart or crazy for fitting the entire Mortis arc into one chapter. I like to think smart, but I was thinking how crazy I was while writing this, so I'm going to go with somewhere in the middle.


	13. Sight

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette was checking over the new paint job she had done on her helmet. She had repainted her armor with dull black and greys and added accents of Kryze blue and 212th yellow. She felt a better connection to the troops with their color on her armor. And it didn't feel right to wear her Mandalorian armor and not represent her clan.

She saw Ahsoka walk into her room before the door even opened to reveal her fellow padawan. "Have you seen Anakin anywhere? I can't find him and he isn't answering me." Ahsoka crossed her arms in worry as she thought of what could have happened to her master.

"He's at a mission briefing." Odette informed the girl as she tweaked the antenna on her helmet. She placed her wrench on the edge of the table once she had adjusted it a bit. She kept an eye on the wrench, her table had a slight tilt to it.

Ahsoka was shocked. "What? And he didn't tell me? What mission?" Ahsoka placed her hands on the table, jostling it a bit.

Odette saw the wrench falling and had her hand out to catch it as it fell. "To rescue Master Piell." Odette informed her calmly as she replaced the wrench on the table. She also finished tweaking the antenna for now, Ahsoka was about to pull her out of her seat in a moment.

This foresight was a new development Odette was discovering. It had suddenly started happening. She would see a ghost of things before they happened. Sometime it would be a second before, or sometimes moments before. It wasn't consistent, but it was there. Odette had yet to bring it up with Master Kenobi, she was worried where this power had come from.

"Well, we are going to miss it." Ahsoka grabbed onto her hand and dragged her along. She let go of Odette's hand once they reached the Masters. "Master, sorry I'm late. I just heard about the briefing. We're going to rescue Master Piell right?"

Odette stopped just behind the other Masters. Obi-wan had already told her he didn't want her going anywhere near the Citadel. She didn't agree, but respecting his wishes as both her Master and her father. It seemed Master Skywalker had forgotten to let his Padawan know.

"You two have much to discuss." Master Plo spoke as he and Master Kenobi continued on. Odette snuck past the two and followed after her Master. "I'm guessing your Master already informed you of your absence on this mission." Plo spoke over his shoulder towards the padawan.

"He mentioned it before the briefing." Odette tucked her helmet under her arm. "It doesn't mean I agree with the idea." She could see Obi-wan sigh. "Master, I understand your worry, but shielding me from experiences such as this will not prepare me for when I don't have you to rely on."

"If it was to any other place I would agree, but the Citadel is not someplace to gain experience." Obi-wan was scared to let her come along. Ever since they had come back from Mortis, he could sense a darkness in her. She kept it hidden as best she could, but it was there. "It's not someplace I want to expose you to."

Odette nodded, accepting she wasn't going to get any further discussing this with Master Kenobi. She could also sense a bit of fatherly protection, which was appreciated, but unneeded. She followed along to the carbon freezing station. Master Skywalker had thought of the idea when they first received word of the mission and started working on a plan. He had asked her to make sure the settings could accommodate living people. She had informed him of the validity of the idea just before the briefing had begun.

"You coming along kid?" Odette looked over as Rex walked up to her group.

"Unfortunately not. I'm just the one who made sure you all don't die by carbon freezing." She walked over to the main computer and made sure all of the numbers were coming out correctly. She trusted the engineers, but a second check wouldn't hurt.

"So, if we die we can blame you?" He joked as he stepped over onto a platform.

"You can blame me all you want." Odette joked back with the soldier. "Everything is set Master Skywalker." She informed the jedi as she waited for everyone to pick a spot.

"Are we sure this thing is safe?" Odette looked over as Fives spoke up, worry evident on his face. "I don't want to end up a wall decoration." She giggled a bit thinking where they would hang everyone. Master Kenobi would probably go in the room of a thousand fountains.

"Try to relax." Obi-wan reassured the clone. "We'll be unfrozen as soon as we arrive."

"You'll barely feel a thing." Odette added. "Just take it easy when you thaw. Carbon sickness is rather common, even on short hibernations." She ignored anymore worried looks from the clones. "Starting the freezing process." She typed out the sequence and the platforms lowered. A sharp hissing sounded as the hyper-cooled carbonite was sprayed on, binding them to their life support systems. Arms lowered down and picked up each individual block of carbonite-frozen life forms. "Alright, next group."

It was about three groups later that they got through everyone that was going. "One more batch Odette." Odette looked over as Ahsoka walked up to her and grabbed her arm. "Shall we?"

Odette gave the girl a smirk. "They ask, I'm saying this was your idea." She held her helmet under her arm, knowing putting it on would mess up the freezing and probably kill her.

"I've got this covered. I talked it over with Master Plo." Ahsoka said as she gave the signal to one of the workers to freeze them. Odette shrugged as the freezing process began. She took a deep breath and relaxed as the blast of cold hit her.

* * *

Odette stretched as she was unfrozen from carbonite. "See, not bad at all Fives." She told the clone as he steadied himself. She turned and looked over at Obi-wan and Anakin as they both looked at her and Ahsoka.

"Hey Master." Ahsoka greeted Anakin casually.

Obi-wan shook his head. "I must have carbon sickness. I swear that's Ahsoka and Odette."

"Your eyes are fine." Anakin told his old Master. "These two need to get their hearing checked."

"We received orders to join the team." Ahsoka spoke casually.

"Orders? From who?" Anakin asked.

"I discussed it with Master Plo." Ahsoka countered easily.

Anakin doubted it. "He didn't tell me."

Odette decided to chime in. "You both were already frozen in carbonite." She noticed Cody looking a little green and went over to help him. "Here." She pushed a few pressure points as the clone let out a sigh. She added a bit of force healing to help soothe his system as well. "Better?"

"Much. Thanks Odette." Cody certainly wasn't going to complain about having more Jedi on the team. "General." He greeted the Jedi as he put his helmet back on.

"Odette, welcome to the team." She was shocked as Obi-wan spoke. "I've learned you are very much like Duchess Satine. And if there is one thing I learned about her, it's that she always finds a way around anything she is told not to do." Obi-wan gave his daughter a pointed look, telling her he knows the two padawans had simply tagged along.

Odette smiled sheepishly. "Well, someone has to watch your back while you chase after Skywalker." Slid her helmet on over her head, ready to get moving.

Obi-wan chuckled as he walked back over to Anakin and Ahsoka. "I see Anakin's new teaching method is to do as I say and not as I do. It seems even my Padawan listens as well as yours does." He grinned before turning to Ahsoka. "Welcome aboard."

They headed off down the canyon towards the Citadel. Odette could feel the negative energy around them. As they reached the entrance, they caught sight of their target. Odette looked up at the massive tower, wondering if there were any Jedi locked in there other than Master Piell.

"I see the entry point." Anakin said as he scouted their route.

"You were right General, the wind is too strong for jet packs." Odette had to agree with Cody. She wouldn't attempted to fly in this on any day.

"We'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." Obi-wan said. "Extension cables and a steel grip."

Odette knew that wasn't going to be the plan when Anakin looked back at Obi-wan. "I don't think so."

"What do you mean?" Obi-wan asked, not being the one with a scope. Odette lowered her antenna to activate her scope. She saw what Master Skywalker was talking about as soon as her vision focused.

Anakin looked back and zoomed in on what he had found. "Electro-mines. There's no where to put a grappling hook at that height. And we hit one of those, the mission is over. They'll know we're here."

Odette knew where this was going. She lifted her antenna to resume normal vision through her visor. "I guess then we free climbing." Everyone knew that was what they were going to have to do. They all moved along, ready to start the next leg of the mission.

Once they reached the base of the cliff, they picked their line and started to climb the cliff. Odette opted to be at the back. Since most of her armor and clothing were dark, she blended into the rock rather well. The climb wasn't too hard, hand holds were plentiful and the footing was rather spacious. It was the wind that Odette hated. It was strong and constantly trying to rip them from the wall.

After a long while of climbing, Master Kenobi reached the platform. Odette stopped and watched carefully. She hugged the wall as he indicated that there was a patrol. She guessed they went unnoticed when no alarm was raised. She climbed up a bit more to be on par with the next closest clone. "You hanging in there?"

"Hanging in there Commander." Odette nodded as the clone answered her. He seemed to be doing alright.

They all climbed up to the platform once the Jedi moved up. Odette kept back, making sure no one slipped. As the last clone made his way to the edge of the platform to climb up, she saw him lose his footing and fall from the cliff. "Hold it." Everyone froze as she spoke. "That rock is loose." The clone looked to the rock he was about to step on. He moved his foot to another and climbed up to the platform.

Odette climbed up herself with Cody's help. "How'd you know?" Fives asked the Jedi.

Odette shrugged. "It's been happening a lot lately." She admitted to the clone. She could sense concern and curiosity from her fellow jedi.

"Let's get moving." Obi-wan ordered. He watched Odette carefully as she joined the rest of them at the front.

They snuck around the halls, keeping a sharp eye out for patrols. "Two droids in the next hall." Odette spoke up. They all pressed themselves to the wall. Odette wasn't sure if she was right, she hadn't been able to sense something like this before. Seeing things before they happen sure, but knowing where things are without looking? That couldn't be possible.

Ahsoka peaked around the corner, seeing the two droids. She pulled back. "They aren't moving."

Odette could sense the situation was about to change. "Rotation change." Odette spoke up once more as Ahsoka leaned out again. A beep went off on the droids before they both started walking down the hall in the opposite direction. "Move." Odette hissed. "The next droid patrol is coming around the corner." They all quickly crossed the hall.

Ahsoka checked the hell, just to see if Odette was right. Sure enough, before the first pair were down the hall, another entered it, walking in their direction. "How are you doing that?"

Odette shook her head. "I don't know. I just know somehow." It almost felt like a headache, but more so from reading too much. Her head snapped towards the clones as the force yelled at her. "Longshot, don't move." The clone in question froze on the spot, his foot about to step down.

Cody pulled him back, looking down at the spot. "Boobytrap." He was surprised, even he would have missed it. "Anything else?"

Odette shook her head as a dizzy feeling began to settled on her. "Nothing screaming out at me." She did not want to know what this feeling meant. It felt almost familiar.

"Guess it's a good thing Master Plo told them to come along." Obi-wan commented. He placed a hand on Odette's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Odette shook her head. "You know, if seeing things before they happen is normal." She paused as she caught sight of a droid down the hall. "We've been made." She commented as the alarm started to blare. "And by a damn mouse droid." She cursed their luck.

"Well, it was nice while it lasted." Ahsoka commented as they continued on their way.

"Another trap ahead." Odette called out as she took her saber and ignited both blades. She slid into the room and jumped up, cutting the cameras. She deactivated one blade and moved her grip to the end of her saber, maximizing her reach. She spun her saber around, cutting through guns and cameras located on walls of the room. She took a deep breath as everything quieted and she deactivated her saber.

"Well that was efficient." Anakin commented. "And how long has your foresight been this good?"

Odette shrugged as she watched another future play out. "Electrified walls. Move!" She led them down the hall, sliding into another hall. They all made it clear as the wall of electricity passed them by. She held her head as the hall spun for a moment.

"We must keep moving." Obi-wan ordered as they continued on.

* * *

They made it to the interrogation level without any further incident. Odette and Ahsoka waited outside of the cell while Obi-wan and Anakin secured Master Piell. "So, see anyone of us dying?" Ahsoka joked.

"Not yet." Odette answered honestly

"We have a new plan." Obi-wan informed the team. "We need to get to the prison level." Everyone nodded as they began their journey to their next destination.

Odette stayed close to the rear, hoping they would avoid any trouble. Once they were partway down the hall, she stopped. "Commando droids front and back." They readied themselves as the droids rounded the corners. Odette grabbed her blasters, knowing her saber would not be suitable for such close quarters.

She shot at the droids, smirking as she landed a headshot. It was easy when she knew where they would go. There weren't many droids and they were swiftly taken care of. The calm moment was interrupted by a harsh ringing noise and some sort of magnet in the ceiling. Odette wasn't too surprised when her Mandalorian armor got her picked up. "Damn it." She cursed the lightweight, durable metal as she was pinned to the ceiling and Master Skywalker hung from his robotic arm. Luckily she had maintained her grip on her blasters.

"You lose." A voice spoke over the speaker system of the Citadel. "I hope you enjoyed your reunion with your fellow Jedi, because you are going to be my guests for a very long time." More droids arrived to capture the intruders. It would be easier for the droids since they didn't have any weapons.

There was a crackling sound as an electric field turned on, shocking both Odette and Anakin. Odette took a deep breath as she focused on angling her hand properly. The shock intensified as she noticed Master Skywalker reaching for his saber. Odette shot one power source as Anakin cut through the other.

Odette braced herself as she hit the floor. It certainly felt better than getting shocked. "You okay kid?" Odette accepted Rex's help up.

She rolled her neck. "Yeah. Wish I had seen that coming." Odette wished this new ability would be more consistent, but she didn't know how she was using it to begin with. So for now she would just be grateful when it worked.

"Let's go." Anakin ordered.

They were able to avoid anymore droids as they made their way to the detention level. It was easy to sense which one was their target. It was the only one that seemed to have any life in it.

Anakin knelt by the door, ready. He turned on his saber, hoping to draw the attention of a droid. Once he sensed a droid in position, he stabbed forward. Master Piell then opened the door for Ahsoka to move in and finish off the last droid.

Odette stayed outside, hoping she didn't see anything. Her attention was pulled into the room when she heard Master Kenobi speak. "What if we split into two team? My team will create a diversion, while Anakin leads the others away. That way if one of us is captured, the enemy will only have half of the information and not all of it."

"Master Kenobi," Odette looked in to see who was trying to argue with her master. The man looked very proper, a text book officer. "I think it's better if we stick together. A stronger force would have a better chance at protecting the information."

"Not in this situation." Obi-wan countered.

"But surely, we'd have more strength in numbers, rather than divide us." Odette wondered if this guy was just trying to have all of the Jedi on his team.

"Obi-wan has a point." Piell responded to his captain. "I'll go with him. You go with Skywalker."

Odette guessed she was with her Master, since Ahsoka was going with Anakin. "So, what's the plan?"

"We need to get to the landing platform. That's our rendezvous with R2." Obi-wan explained. "You're leading the way."

"Me?" Odette was a bit surprised.

"With how accurate your foresight has been, it would be foolish not to follow you." Obi-wan was sure she could do it. "Let's move."

* * *

And I learned my lesson from the Mortis arc, space things out. Plus, this arc has a lot more to it. Any guesses as to major changes I am making? Hint: I'm a big fan of the clones and I hate Tarkin.


	14. Insight

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette wasn't too sure where the landing platform was, but she definitely knew where the droids were. She led the way as the men behind her tossed down charges. A big bang usually worked as a distraction.

Once they set off the charges, the halls grew eerily quiet. Odette stopped dead in her tracks as the force screamed around her. "We have to get out of sight from all direction." She warned as she reached above her and pushed aside a vent cover.

Obi-wan and Piell quickly worked together to get the clones into the vent, then themselves. Odette was the last one to enter the vent. She quickly replaced the cover as they waited in silence. Without a moment to spare, two patrols went by, blocking any other routes they could have taken.

"Nice work Padawan Kryze." Master Piell complimented the young Jedi. "How long have you been working on your foresight?"

"It's a rather recent development." Odette told the Jedi master as they moved along the vent. It was rather spacious for an overhead vent.

Obi-wan edged around the central ventilation shaft. "This passage should get us near the landing pad." He twisted into the shaft and began climbing.

"Great, more climbing." Odette muttered under her breath as she waited for everyone else to go on ahead, she would take the rear again. She dared a look down. She couldn't see the bottom, but she could see lights until they were too small to make out. "Just don't fall and you won't have to worry about how far down it goes." She muttered to herself as she began to climb.

The climb up was much easier than the climb outside, there was no wind. Odette was grateful no one had slipped. "Probe!" Cody called from above them. Odette looked up, seeing the probe fly higher up. Master Piell jumped up, swinging his saber. After a few moments, two halves of a droid probe fell past her.

"Security doors! Move or you'll be cut in half!" Odette pulled herself up, clearing the doorway.

"I can't!" Odette looked up, seeing a clone hanging off an edge. She reached up and gave him a push. She was pretty sure he knocked against the door above them, but at least he was whole.

Odette grabbed her saber and ignited a single blade. She cut through the door above her, moved aside and pulled the circle down before climbing up through the hole. She sensed above her to make sure the spot she was going to cut above her was free of any clones before she started. Odette pulled the cut out down and moved it away from the hole she had created. She took a head count once she could see everyone. "Everyone in one piece?"

"Yeah, thanks Commander." The clone that had been stuck responded gratefully.

"No problem." Odette answered as she looked at the door above them. A saber poked through, cutting a hole. Odette caught it and moved it out of the way. "Master Piell."

Piell took note of everyone in the compartment. "Good, you all stuck together." He then looked to Odette. "We've got some cutting to do." Odette nodded as she climbed into the compartment and over to the hole. Master Piell was already starting on the next layer. He pushed the piece up and over. "Kenobi."

"Is everyone alright?" Obi-wan asked as Mster Piell and Odette joined him.

"Everyone's in one piece." Odette reported. "We should do this together. We'll be able to move the fastest." The masters nodded.

"Alternate the sides so there is less chance of falling all the way down." Obi-wan advised as they all began cutting.

It took longer for them to reach their destination than it would have if they had just climbed, but at least they had made it. "The shuttle's there, but there's no sign of R2." Cody reported as he surveyed the landing platform.

"Something might have happened." Obi-wan surmised. He looked at Odette. "Do you sense anything?"

Odette shook her head. "But I can't sense too far ahead."

"Then let's make our way around and get a different view." Obi-wan decided. "This could be a trap."

"You think everything is a trap." Odette pointed out. Master Kenobi simply shrugged.

Obi-wan pushed out with the force towards the vent cover, sending it flying off. He then anchored an extension cable onto the opposing grate before repelling down a few floors. Once he anchored the other end, he signaled for the others to follow.

Odette went next, hoping she would be able to detect the trap before it was too late. She snuck along the perimeter, ignoring the sheer drop beside them. Once they reach the platform, they dropped down, leveling themselves with the shuttle. Odette relaxed, she didn't see anything going amiss.

Obi-wan turned on his com. "Anakin?"

"I must commend you on your escape tactics." Everyone froze as the same voice from the hall spoke, they were already trapped. "But in the end it was easy to predict your every move." Towers popped up as a crab droid and several other droids surrounded them.

Odette let out a frustrated sigh, they had caught them, but at least she knew they weren't about to gun them down. They were all relieved of their weapons before being put in binders and escorted back into the Citadel. Odette had a frown on her face under her helmet. At least whatever slimo was in charge of this place couldn't see her making fun of him.

They were escorted into the central room and lined up. Odette looked up at the slimo, a gangly Phindian. "Welcome back." Yep, definitely this guy.

"I must say, you're not at all what I pictured." Odette wondered what her master was up to. "Someone with such a soft voice."

Sobeck walked up to Obi-wan. He paused before turning to Master Piell. "I want your half of the information." He growled at the shorter Jedi. "Give it to me now, or I'll start executing your men."

Master Piell thought for a moment. "This is war, Sobeck. We are all prepared to die to protect that intel."

Odette watched as Sobeck grabbed a blaster from a nearby commando droid. She watched as a shadow of him shooting a clone and the soldier crumpling to the floor with a blaster bolt in his helmet played out for her eyes only. "Really?" The shot rang out in the room. Then the thud of the clone hitting the wall and sliding to the floor

Sobeck chuckled as he aimed at the next clone in line. "We have located the other group." A droid spoke up behind Sobeck. "Our droids are closing in on them."

Sobeck tossed the blaster back to the commando droid. "Your Jedi resolve only delays the inevitable." He walked away from the group. "Take them to interrogation. Torture them, slowly."

Odette glared at the commander of the Citadel, he would pay. She turned and followed the line out of the room. It wasn't long down the hall before they were transferred over to different droids. These blue painted droids were all too familiar. Then there was an all too familiar beep pattern sounding behind them.

Odette turned and smiled at the blue astromech. "Hey R2." She greeted the droid. "We were wondering where you had gotten to." R2 beeped along as he removed her binders. "I think getting back to the shuttle would probably be the best idea."

"I couldn't agree more." Obi-wan commented as they turned and followed the droids. It would be easiest to keep pretending to be their prisoner.

"What about General Skywalker sir?" Cody asked.

"Not to worry, he'll switch to plan B." Obi-wan reassured them.

As they continued to walk through the Citadel, Odette couldn't help the chill she felt. "This place feels so dead."

"This fortress was designed to hold fallen Jedi." Obi-wan explained. "The dark side is stained into the very building. It's one of the reasons I didn't want you coming along."

Odette shrugged. "Too late now."

They eventually reached the landing platform. The droids on duty there halted them before they got onto the shuttle. "Hold it. Where are you taking these prisoners?"

"We are transferring them aboard the shuttle. From Citadel to Point Terron." Their droid answered in response.

"Point Terron, there's no outpost there." Odette could see Obi-wan and Piell sharing looks as the droids spoke.

"Uh...it's new." The droid spoke up as R2 chimed in. "We have orders. We're coming aboard."

The droids stepped aside, allowing them to go. There was a beeping as a message came in. "Wait." The droid stopped them as he accepted the message.

Odette saw a shadow of Obi-wan cutting down the droid as the message played. "The prisoners are escaping with reprogrammed battle droids. Let no one on board that shuttle." On cue, Obi-wan cut down the droid, starting the fight.

Odette grabbed her saber and began fighting back. As the large turrets began to fire, they retreated behind some large crates. They were pinned down pretty good. "Hey kid." Odette looked over as Fives and Echo joined her and Cody behind a crate.

"Welcome to the party." Odette peaked out from behind the crate. She quickly pulled back as the turret aimed at her. "Even with my foresight, I can't find an alternative if they all end at the start."

"We've got to do something." Echo spoke up.

Cody pulled back form the other end of the crates. "It's not any easier from that side."

Odette took a deep breath as she focused and delved deeper into the force. She took a step out, seeing the blaster bolt coming at her long before it got close. She knocked it away, hitting the droid behind on of the turrets. Another bolt flew at her that she sent at the other droid. She then quickly deflected the rest and retreated. "That should take care of the turrets for now."

"Nice work." Fives complimented her as he moved to the edge of the crate. He looked to Echo. "Ready?" As a well oiled machine, the two moved together. Echo throwing grenades while Fives provided cover fire. It wasn't long until the droids were thinned out considerably.

Odette jumped up to the top of the crates, deflecting shots and drawing some of the fire away from the clones. She growled as a squad of commando droids showed up. "Can't these guys just give up?" She complained

"General Skywalker, one of those commando droid is manning the turret. He's going to blow up the shuttle." Odette looked over as the turret began to move, aiming for Master Skywalker.

Odette got down from the crates beside the two ARC troopers. "We've got to get to the shuttle. This is our last chance." Echo spoke. Odette nodded in agreement. Echo moved out from behind cover and picked up a commando shield, shooting at the turret.

Odette pulled out a blaster and fired at the turret as well, trying to hit the droid. She watched as a shadow of the explosion went off, killing the clone. "Echo!" She shouted as she reached towards the clone. There was a feeling of falling before she suddenly found herself on the walkway of the shuttle instead of Echo. "What the-" She was cut off as a blast from the turret hit the shuttle, blowing the transport up.

"Odette!" Obi-wan shouted as the shuttle exploded, tossing Odette backwards.

Fives and Echo ran over to where the explosion had tossed Commander Kryze. "She's alive." Fives reported. "Looks like her armor took the brunt of the explosion. I can't tell the extend of her injuries." He picked up the girl as Echo worked on giving him cover fire to retreat to the rest of the group.

"We have to go now." Obi-wan ordered once the two had returned with his daughter. As one they pulled back from the landing platform and destroyed shuttle. "What happened back there?" Obi-wan asked Echo and Fives.

"I don't know sir." Echo responded. "One moment, I'm by the shuttle. Then the next, I'm stumbling behind Fives and Commander Kryze was by the shuttle. I don't know how she did it."

"Either way, we're gonna need to call the temple." Anakin added in.

Obi-wan had to agree. Master Plo answered his call. "Master Kenobi, what is your status?"

"We've had a slight situation with the shuttle." Obi-wan explained.

Anakin stepped in. "By 'situation', he means big explosion. We're gonna need a rescue."

"It will be done." Master Plo replied. "I'm sending our cruisers now."

* * *

Odette shivered as she opened her eyes. She found herself chained to the floor of her Mortis cell once more. "No." She quickly sat up and tugged at the chain. "I'm not here. This isn't real." the chain was firmly bolted to the floor, just like before.

" **But it is.** " Odette froze as the Son's voice spoke. " **You are mine.** "

"I AM NOT!" Odette shouted as she looked around the room for the Son. "I will not join you." She couldn't see him in the dim lighting, but she knew he was there. The shadows were moving around the room like wind through a cave.

The voice chuckled as it bounced around the room. " **You did once. All too willingly.** " She shivered as the voice blew past her ear. " **And look at what you have accomplished with my power. You've helped so many people. Even saved a few from death.** "

A chill ran down Odette's spine. "The foresight? That was your power?" Odette couldn't believe that was a Sith ability alone. Many Jedi were known to predict the future. "I don't believe you. You just enhanced my own abilities, but I don't need it. **I don't want your help**!" She stopped as she heard her voice, she could hear his laced under her's.

The Son let out a slow chuckle. " **Do you think that is the only power of mine you've used.** " Odette shook her head as he continued to laugh. " **Use your emotions, your fear, your frustration. It will be your strength.** " Odette covered her ears as the Son spoke. " **You can't shut me out. Not when I am already inside of you.** "

Odette paused as she thought on his words. "Inside me. Then this isn't real. You're not in control." She used the force and pushed the walls away, turning them to dust. She spotted a small dark creature flying away. "You're not escaping." She latched onto it, pulling it closer to her. It slammed into a cage as it reached her. "Go away!" The cage dropped away, falling into the dark recesses of her mind.

Odette let out a breath as she calmed her mind. Soon the dark clouds around her gave way to mist and light, but never fully went away. "Balance." She commented as she retreated from her own mind for the material world.

* * *

We will never see the end of the Son or Daughter. They have a much bigger role to play in this story of mine. And there was no way I was letting anything happen to Echo. Any clone death is terrible, but it's not exciting if you know everyone is going to live. Sure there is plot armor on certain characters, but there has to be a few deaths. Even with named characters. And I am not a fan of plot armor, because I really want to kill off Tarkin. But damn it I need his half of the Nexus route, and I haven't planned this story out completely. Once I do, I'll probably find some way to kill him off. Count on it.

And I know I am messing with the plot of the newest season of Clone Wars, but it hasn't come out yet as of when I am writing this chapter, so I don't really care about continuity all too much at the moment. Heck, my main character doesn't even exist in canon.


	15. Slip

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette opened her eyes to blackness. She guessed she still had her helmet on, but it was obviously damaged. She felt someone readjust her, so she guessed she was being carried. Judging by where the weight was, she was on a back. "You can put me down."

"Welcome back Commander." She knew it was Cody from the way he spoke. "We're on our way to the rendezvous point. The Republic is on their way to extract us." Odette nodded. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah." Cody knelt down and let her off. Odette pulled her helmet off, shaking out her cramped curls. She grimaced as she looked at the damage her helmet had taken. "It's gonna take me months to patch this up." She knew it would just be easier to ask her aunt to send her new armor, but then she would have to modify it to her Jedi clothing again.

"Could have been worse." Ahsoka told her. "How're you feeling?"

Odette rolled her shoulders and stretched out, taking inventory of any physical pains. "No worse for wear." Odette replied, knowing full well her friend was right about her state of being. A few muscles felt tense and sore, but nothing was in terrible pain. She looked around the cavern they were in. A howling echoed around the open space. "So, what have I missed?"

"We are being hunted by some creatures." Piell spoke up. "We are waiting for them to pass then attack them from behind." Odette nodded, clear on the plan.

They all sat and waited as the howling got closer. Odette fiddled a bit with her helmet, managing to get the front glass clear. She slid the helmet on, glad it wasn't too bent out of shape, just some cracks.

"Thank you, Commander Kryze." Odette looked over as Echo spoke up.

"Don't worry about it." She replied. Another howl silenced them all. It was only once the sound of claws on stone and the squad of flying commando had passed that they took off after their distraction team. There were shadows of crab droids crawling over the edge of the cliff. "We've got droids coming up the cliff." She called out as she grabbed her saber.

Sure enough, a number of crab droids climbed up, shooting at them. Odette deflected shots away from the men behind her. "Odette, take the clones and go on ahead." Piell ordered. "Ahsoka and I will take care of the droids."

Odette nodded as she turned off her saber and took off running, the men following behind her. It was easy to see where Anakin and Obi-wan were, there were droids shooting at them. She ran up a stone spire and leapt into the air, landing on a droid. "Mind if I borrow this?" She turned on her saber, stabbing the droid. She turned the speeder and jumped off of it, crashing it into another droid.

Odette ducked as an anoobus jumped at her. She twisted away as she saw several shadows running just ahead of the creatures. She turned her second blade on with a spin, cutting two creatures down. It didn't take long for them to wipe out all the droids and creatures sent after them. "So much for the hunting party." Cody remarked.

"There will be more squads on their way." Tarkin spoke up. Odette rolled her eyes, like they didn't know that already.

She paused as she felt an emptiness in the force, like something had gone missing. Odette looked behind them, sensing the melancholy feeling coming from that direction. Soon, they could make out a single figure, carrying something. "Oh no." Odette heard Obi-wan say as Ahsoka joined them, laying Master Piell's body on the ground with Anakin's help.

Odette placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder in comfort. "He died honorably." The togruta answered.

"And the information?" Anakin asked.

"I have it." Ahsoka kept her eyes on Master Piell. "He told me just before he died."

They all moved somberly as they pulled a warming blanket from a med kit and wrapped Master Piell's body in it. They moved him to the edge of a lava flow, to send him off. "We don't have much time, but let's take this moment to honor him." Obi-wan spoke. "Then we must move on. He would have wanted us to complete our mission." Together, Obi-wan and Anakin lowered the Jedi master's body into the river of fire.

After a moment of silence, they moved on from their spot, continuing on to the rendezvous point.

"How are you feeling?" Odette looked over as Master Kenobi began walking beside her. "You gave me quite a fright." He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm alright Master." Odette placed her hand over his. "I'm more confused at how I did it. I don't know what I did." She kept moving as she tried to think through what led up to her and Echo switching places. "I saw the turret going to blow up the ship, killing Echo. Then the next moment, Echo and I had switched places."

Obi-wan stroked his chin as he thought. He had never heard of a force ability that could move people so quickly. There were many abilities to enhance one's speed, but she would have been able to get clear of the blast had that been the case. "What were you feeling at the time? Perhaps your emotions had something to do with it."

Odette cringed a bit, knowing her emotional control was far too lax than she had wanted it to be. "I guess, scared. I didn't want Echo to die, not if I could save him."

"Emotions are a powerful thing for a Jedi." Anakin added in. "They can be a strength, but also a weakness."

"Well," The Jedi all looked over as Tarkin spoke up. "Whatever that power was, it saved a life. You should learn to control it and use it to your advantage." The three shared a look as Tarkin moved on. He had a point, but what cost did this power come at?

It wasn't long until they found the island. "There's the extraction point." Obi-wan pointed out. Cody and Anakin took no time finding anchors and putting down a couple lines for them to use to cross. Rex and Tarkin went across first. "Odette, you're next with Echo."

Odette nodded as she climbed up to the tether. She looked down at the lava then across to the island. "Easy." It was shorter than one of the power lines back home. She took a step onto the tether, feeling the weight. Once she had her confidence back, she stepped out as if walking along a line on solid ground. It was a bit less stable that the power lines, but same basic concept.

She stepped onto the ground and sighed happily. "Show off." Odette couldn't help the laugh that came out as Rex commented on her easy crossing. "We've got in coming." He pointed out behind them.

Odette grabbed her saber and ignited the twin blades, hoping to draw the attention of their hunting party. She spotted Sobeck as he flew around the island. "Slimo." She cursed as she began deflecting shots from the droids.

It wasn't long until everyone was across and the droids were shot down. Fives had even managed to shoot Sobeck down. Odette leveled her blade at him. "Surrender."

"No." He shouted as he swatted her saber aside and out of her grip. Odette ducked as he swung again, but missed the second swing that knocked her back, sending her helmet flying off of her head. "If I can't have the information," Sobeck reached for Tarkin, the man having gotten stupidly close. "Then it will die-" The Phindian's words were cut off as he struggled to move against some invisible force, Tarkin in his grip.

Everything quieted as all eyes turned to the young Jedi focusing on the phindian with closed eyes. Odette slowly stood up. " **Release him.** " Her voice was double edged with something dark. Sobeck obeyed without hesitation.

Obi-wan stared in shock as Odette controlled Sobeck with such ease, but he knew it was not her doing. He could feel the dark side wrapping around her. "Odette, let him go."

Odette let out a deep chuckle. " **And why should I, master Jedi?** " The three Jedi stared as Odette opened her eyes and looked at them. Her eyes were black with glaring red irises. " **Did you miss me?** "

"The Son?" Anakin asked in shock as he ignited his blade. "How are you here?"

"Sir?" Rex asked, just as confused as everyone else.

" **She brought me along.** " Odette answered as she turned her attention back to the phindian. " **Now, how about I torture you, slowly.** " She hissed out the last word as bright blue lightning sprang from her finger tips. The Son laughed as Sobeck twitched in her grasp. She kept a tight grip on his neck, not allowing him to get enough air into his lungs to scream.

"Let her go." Obi-wan demanded as he reached towards Odette with the force. Sobeck fell to the ground, dead, as the force user holding him became distracted. "You will release her."

The Son laughed at the Jedi. " **Make me.** " Obi-wan gained a bit of hope as he noticed one red eye became blue once more. " **No! You are mine!** " He growled as the girl fought to put him back inside the little box she had tried to lock him away in. " **You can not contain me.** " Dust and dirt picked up and swirled around the young force user as they fought for control.

"Yes I can." Odette clutched her head as the Sith fought to keep control over her. She could sense her father helping her, along with Ahsoka and Anakin lending their help. "Now, stay in your little box." It felt as if an explosion had gone off, there was a calm emptiness where a storm had once been. Odette found herself lacking strength and falling.

Obi-wan quickly caught her, cradling her in his arms. "I've got you."

"Dad?" Odette asked, weakly curling into his arms. "Is he gone?"

Obi-wan frowned as he tucked hair away from her face, she looked so fragile. "For now."

As the group gathered, a gun ship came down through the smoke clouds. The side doors opened, revealing Master Plo. "I believe you have worn out your welcome." As the sound of more droids coming rang around them, they quickly got onto the gunship.

Obi-wan laid Odette down on a stretcher as they took off. "Admiral Coburn, we have the survivors. Recall all fighters." The ship shook as they made their way through the blockade. It stopped once they were safely inside a cruiser. "We're all ready Admiral."

* * *

And there is the end of Citadel arc. At least partially.

Did you know you can extract information from minds using the force? It's usually painful and destroys minds, unless you're skilled in it. Then again, if you don't care, does it matter if they survive?


	16. Transfer

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette woke to find herself in the Hall of Healing at the Jedi temple. It was easy to know where she was judging by the strong force that was flowing around her. As she sat up, she took note of temple guards standing at attention at the doors to the cubical she was in. "Um...may I help you?"

"Let us pass, you will." Odette recognized the voice of Master Yoda. The guards stepped aside and allowed the small Jedi to pass. "Been through much you have." Yoda giggled as he walked over and jumped up onto a tall chair, sitting opposite to Odette. "Found out your secret has. Your father Obi-wan is."

Odette hunched her shoulders in shame. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

"Apologize you need not." Yoda watched as the young girl looked back at him. "Saved you it did. Your bond with Master Kenobi strong it is. But separated you must be to remain focused. Much training there is to keep the dark side at bay."

Odette nodded, understanding the Grand Master's words. "So, I'm not being expelled? Or Master Kenobi?"

Yoda shook his head. "Thought long on this matter the council did. In the past it is." Odette nodded, knowing they both dodge a blaster bolt on this one. "A new master you have now."

Odette looked over as a Besalisk entered the cubical. "You must be Padawan Odette Kryze. Or is it Kenobi?"

"Kryze, Master Krell." Odette clarified for the Jedi.

"Take over your training Master Krell will." Yoda spoke up. "Learn much you will." With that said, he hopped down from the chair and walked away.

Odette looked from the Grand Master to Master Krell. "The council has informed me that you have been having trouble keeping your emotions in check, leading to some brushes with the dark side."

"Yes Master." Odette admitted. "I've been trying, but it just doesn't seem to work."

Krell nodded. "My teaching will be far stricter than Master Kenobi's, but you will see results, I promise you." The girl nodded as she grabbed her things. "Your crystal, is it intact?" Odette paused, she had not thought to check. She tested her saber, frowning when no blade appeared. "It seems you got close enough for the dark side to shatter your crystal. We will need to visit Illum for you to retrieve another."

Odette reached into her belt, remembering something. "Master, I have these." She looked at the white and black crystals in her hand.

Krell looked at the two similarly shaped crystals. "If you wish to make two sabers, you will need to reconstruct your current one." His new padawan nodded as she stored her crystals away. "Not every crystal can be used in a saber, but we shall see if they will work. If not, then we will visit Illum."

"Yes Master." Odette answered calmly. She would need to stop by the workshop and pick up the extra pieces she would need to build a second saber. Maybe she could even try and make it so the two could connect together to make a saber-staff.

Krell hummed in satisfaction as she answered. "Come, you can work on repairing your saber on the cruiser. We have been given an assignment and must depart immediately."

"Yes Master Krell." Odette nodded and followed after her Master with her badly damaged helmet. The plates attached to her clothing was heavily damaged as well. "I will need a few other things in order to repair my armor as well."

"Very well." Krell didn't bother to look behind him as the girl answered.

Odette had resigned herself to not saying goodbye to her father, it was probably for the best. "Excuse me, Master Krell." Obi-wan stopped the two in a more secluded section of the temple. "Would you mind if I had a moment with my daughter?"

Krell looked from Obi-wan to Odette. "I can spare a brief moment." He took a few steps down the hall.

Odette looked over at her father. "So, they found out?"

Obi-wan chuckled a bit. "I guess we both lost our emotions a bit at the Citadel." He tucked a stray curl away from her deep blue eyes. "You look so much like your mother when I first met her."

"Whenever mother got a cold, she would always start saying things." Odette recalled. "The one thing that came up the most was how much my eyes looked like my father's. Guess I got some things from both of you."

"More from your mother I hope." Obi-wan pulled his daughter towards him, hugging her tightly. "May the force be with you." He told her softly as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Odette hugged her dad tightly. "And with you, dad." As they split, they shared a smile before heading in different directions.

"Take a deep breath." Odette did as Master Krell instructed, pulling herself together. "Good." He said before continuing on. "Master Kenobi was the last Jedi I ever thought would break the code in a manner such as this."

Odette knew what her Master was talking about. "It was a long time ago. I'm not that young after all. He's changed a lot since then."

Krell nodded as he led his Padawan through the temple. "How long were you aware of your relation?"

"Only since my mother and I visited the capital." Odette answered as they arrived at the hanger. "I only shared it with him a few months ago. I don't know how long he knew about it." Master Krell simply nodded as she responded. They got onto a transport, heading for the base to meet with their troops.

"I'm sure you will have a chance to work with him again." Odette looked at Master Krell curiously. "While attachments are forbidden, no one noticed a change. So, there was no problem with you being his child. Such a relationship is quite similar to the ideal Master-Apprentice relationship." Odette slowly nodded as her Master explained.

As they neared the base, a question came to Odette's mind. "Master, where are we going?"

"The Jedha system." Krell informed her.

Odette knew the name. "NaJedha and its moon are Nuetral systems."

"They have been occupied by Separatist forces." Krell assumed she knew their status due to her mother's work. "We have been asked to liberate them and place them under Republic protection."

Odette felt a bit uncomfortable with that thought. "It sounds like we are making them chose a side. Shouldn't it be their choice which side they join if they so chose to pick one?"

"The Separatists took that choice from them." They arrived at the base and stepped off of the transport, heading for their cruiser. "It's now our job to protect them." Krell caught sight of a familiar clone. "Commander Plinko, is everything ready?"

"Yes Sir." The clone replied as he fell into step behind his General. "We just finished refueling and resupplying."

"Excellent." Krell stepped onto their cruiser. "This is Padawan Kryze. She is now second in command to me." He continued to lead the way up to the bridge.

"Sir." Odette gave Plinko a smile as he saluted her. She hoped he wasn't always this formal and rigid.

Once they reached the bridge, everyone turned and saluted the General. "At ease. Take us into to orbit and prepare for the jump to hyperspace." Krell ordered the room.

Odette watched as everyone worked like a well oiled machine. Soon they were in orbit and their three cruisers were all prepped for the jump. "Padawan Kryze."

"Yes Master Krell." Odette answered, wondering what her master wanted.

Krell didn't look to his apprentice as he spoke. "Until I believe your emotions are controlled, you will meditate daily and at extensive lengths." Odette nodded, knowing her master probably knew what was best. "I shall collect you when it is time to train."

"I'll show you to your quarters." Plinko offered as Odette turned to leave the bridge. When there was no objection, she assumed it was alright. The walk to her room was quiet, not a word was spoken. Odette noticed there was no chatting from any of the men, not even a greeting of any kind. "Here we are Commander Kryze."

"Thank you, Commander Plinko." Odette gave him a smile. "And please, call me Odette. We are going to be working with each other after all."

"Thank you for the offer, Commander Kryze, but I will have to decline." Odette frowned as Plinko continued to speak formally to her. "If that is all, I will take my leave." With another salute he left, heading back towards the bridge.

Odette frowned as she watched the clone commander leave. She then looked to the other clones walking around the halls. None of them spared a glance at her. Any that did make eye contacted, stood at attention and gave her a salute before continuing on.

She retreated into the room, confused at the difference in atmosphere from the clones she had fought with before. Odette sat on the floor, determined to meditate and get her feelings under control. The last thing she needed was for something else to pop up and cause the Jedi Council to worry.

As she relaxed her mind and reached out into the force, she was overwhelmed by the prevailing feeling of fear and sadness onboard. She steeled herself as she pushed through it, only to find and empty void of just nothing. 'This feels like droids rather than clones.'

' **Are you going to do something about it?** ' Odette felt annoyance spring up at the dark voice that cropped up in her mind. ' **Did I disturb you?** '

'Go away.' Odette ordered as she calmed herself and filed her emotions away.

' **You invited me in.** ' The Son teased her as she continued to meditate and organize her mind and emotions. ' **You can't ignore me. I know your heart. You are far closer to the dark side than you realize. Embrace it. Use it to save this galaxy and those you care about.** '

'That's like telling someone to put out a fire with lightning.' Odette argued. 'And I am stronger than you. I won't fall to the dark side.'

' **Your Master might.** ' Odette frowned as the Son chuckled darkly before retreating, leaving nothing but an echo in her mind.

Odette shook her head as she got up from meditating. She picked up her damaged helmet and set it down on the desk in her room. Then she slowly began removing all of the piece of armor from her clothing. Soon she was in a simple jedi tunic with many damaged pieces of armor on her desk. All of the pieces were made of an impure bescar, thus not as sturdy as Mandalorian armor made nowadays. Perhaps she could get her aunt to send her new armor pieces.

A knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts. She opened the door for her master. "Yes Master Krell?"

Krell nodded as he observed his apprentice. "You're much more composed. Come, we have training." He led the way towards the training area onboard the cruiser. "Continue to meditate and discard your feelings. They serve no purpose for a Jedi, only drawing them away from their goals of peace."

"Yes Master." Odette replied with a nod to her Master's back. She observed the men around them as they entered the training room. There were clones training rigorously, but once again no one joked or interacted in a non-formal way. "The men are dedicated to their training."

"They will do their job." Krell walked over to an area, dismissing the men using it. "As we must do ours." He turned and faced the Padawan. "We shall begin with reviewing your seven forms."

Odette nodded as she took her saber from her belt. She didn't bother trying to ignite the broken blade as she took the proper position. She breathed evenly as she moved through the steps Obi-wan had shown her when she had first become his Padawan. He had taught her all of the forms, since she did not have any sort of training with a lightsaber.

As she finished Form I, she smoothly moved into Form II. Surprisingly she had used this one quite often in duels against both Anakin and Ahsoka. Both had not been expecting her to use it, but it only worked if the two were paying too close of attention to her. She could never use it against Obi-wan, he saw through her every time.

Once she had worked through Form II, she was onto Form III. She had the most experience with this Form, Master Kenobi used it primarily. She had observed his movement while they trained, all the while working on efficient ways to counter and get around his form. He still managed to see through her attempts, but at least she was experienced in fighting it.

She took a deep breath as she moved into Form IV. She enjoyed the acrobatics and quick movements, but it always exhausted her whenever she trained extensively with it. The Form was useful when fighting in areas with many surfaces and angles to propel from, but is was exhausting. She held back a bit, knowing she would just tire herself out. Luckily without the armor on her tunic there was much less weight on her body.

She paused to catch her breath as she finished running through Form IV. "We will stop there." Odette looked over as Master Krell spoke. "We will work on your endurance and stamina as well as your meditation. You should be able to run through all seven forms without needing a rest or holding back." Odette nodded as her master explained. "You are dismissed for dinner. Then you work on reconstructing your saber and continue your meditation until we arrive at Jedha."

"Yes Master." Odette gave the Jedi Master a bow before she turned and left the training area.

As she walked down the halls to her quarters, she looked around at the clones once more. Their prestige white armor and unison coloring reminded her too much of the mass produced droids. They all looked the same. They even walked as though on parade. It made her feel even more out of place.

She let out a sigh as she entered her room. "I'm thinking too much." She reasoned as she headed for the refresher. Thinking was leading to getting attached and emotional, or revealing more attachments she had grown used to. Those attachments to individualism and freedom of expression were leading her to frustration and anger, and she knew exactly where that would lead.

'It takes strength to resist the Dark Side.' Obi-wan had once told her.

Odette nodded, making a decision. "I will be strong. I won't fall."

* * *

Time for a bit more character growth. Because if you are familiar with the series, you know what is coming up next.


	17. Adapt

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

As the war went on, Odette found herself adapting to her new Master and role in the war. Even her armor had changed from it's silver, gold and blue to a dark grey with no color added. It blended better among most terrains. She had fixed her helmet as well, upgrading it with a better night vision and scope system. But what had changed the most was her hair. She had cut away most of it. She kept only a small tussle of curls on the top of her head and shaved down the sides and back of her head. It made it much easier to put her helmet on and took much less time in the refresher.

Odette looked over the holo-map of the republic forces they were currently working with. "Master Krell, Masters Kenobi, Skywalker and Tiin are in position."

"Excellent." Krell spoke as he looked at another monitor. They were currently in the command post for their Battalion. "Send our troops into position."

Odette nodded as she relayed the orders, beginning their assault. Their Battalion was supporting the 212th while they led the main assault on the capital. Their main job was air support, but they still had a decent ground force.

The battle was progressing slowly, the Umbarans were dug in deep. "Incoming request from 501st. Requesting an air strike." Odette looked over as she read the request to the General. Krell thought on it, weighing the benefit of diverting their forces from the main objective. Odette spoke up once more as something else came up on the channel. "Incoming transmission from Coruscant."

Krell was intrigued. "Put it through." He ordered as he turned towards the main holo-terminal. His interest was peaked as Chancellor Palpatine materialized on the holo. "Supreme Chancellor, how may I help?"

"Would General Skywalker be available?" Palpatine asked gently.

"Master Skywalker is leading his forces." Odette answered as she pulled up a map on a smaller terminal. "The Umbarans are making communications difficult. We are only able to receive yours due to being in low orbit and not on the ground." She resumed her silenced once she had answered the Chancellor's question.

"I see." Palpatine rubbed his chin in thought. "I required his immediate presence on Coruscant."

"It will be difficult to continue the mission without him." Krell pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Then perhaps you could lead his troops?" Palpatine suggested. "I'm sure your Padawan can handle your own troops." He looked over at the daughter of the duchess of Mandalore. She was almost an entirely different person compare to who he had first met.

Krell observed his Padawan, she remained impassive as the Chancellor complimented her. "My troops can manage themselves. I will request the change from the council."

"My thanks." Palpatine gave the Jedi a small bow before the transmission cut out.

Odette watched and waited for her master's order. "You conducted yourself well, but next time you shall leave the speaking to your Master. Understood?" Krell looked over as his Padawan stared at the holo-terminal.

Odette held herself still as her Master reprimanded her. "Yes Master." Odette responded mechanically.

"Good." Krell began to walk out of the room. "Send an air strike as requested and prep a gunship. I must speak with the council about this matter." He left the room, not waiting for a response.

"Who's in the area?" Odette asked as she brought up the location of the 501st.

"I've got a pair of bombers from the 212th?" A trooper responded.

"Redirect them." Odette ordered. She then left the command room, sliding her helmet on. She quickly got to the hanger and located an available gunship. She briefly explained what they were doing and organized a two fighter escort as well. She turned towards Master Krell as he arrived. "We are ready to depart Master." Krell nodded and got on without a word.

The gunship took off and took them down to the shadow world of Umbara. They landed in an open area near Master Skywalker's troops. Odette followed Master Krell off of the ship, staying a step behind him and to his left. "Master Krell, Padawan Kryze." Anakin greeted the two. "You have my thanks for the air support."

"No need, General Skywalker." Master Krell replied. "The locals are proving to be more resourceful than we anticipated."

Odette could see the wheels turning in Anakin's head. "But that's not the reason for your visit." He looked between the two for confirmation.

Krell nodded. "No. The Council has ordered you back to Coruscant, effective immediately."

"What?" Anakin asked, surprised by the order. "Why?"

"I'm afraid a request was made by the Supreme Chancellor." Krell explained. "He would not say why, but the Council obliged him."

Anakin shook his head. "I can't just leave my men."

Krell spoke in a very calm and level voice. "I'll be taking over in the interim."

"Don't worry about a thing Sir." Rex spoke. "We'll have this city under Republic control by the time you're back."

Odette could understand Master Skywalker's feelings, his emotions were plain to read. Luckily he was able to pull himself together. "Master Krell, this is Captain Rex, my First-in-Command. You won't find a finer or more loyal trooper anywhere. Padawan Kryze can attest to that."

Odette stayed still and at ease as Master Krell looked to her. "Good to hear that." He placed a hand on the younger Jedi's shoulder. "I wish you well, Skywalker." Odette could sense a bit of worry coming from the departing Jedi, but also a confidence. He trusted his men and fellow jedi.

Once the gunship and it's accompanying fighters had flown away, Rex approached their new General. "You're reputation proceeds you, General. It is an honor to be serving you." Odette chewed her lip, wishing she had stopped him from speaking.

"I find it very interesting Captain that you are able to recognize the value of others...for a clone." Odette could feel the shock, hurt and slight anger coming from Rex as Krell spoke. "Stand at attention when I address you." Instantly the clone squared up, as did a few others within earshot. "Your flattery is duly noted, but it will not be rewarded. There's a reason my command is so effective and it is because I do things by the book, and that includes protocol. Have all platoons ready to move out immediately. That is all." With his words spoken, he walked on.

Odette could feel the collective sigh as everyone relaxed, shocked and confused at what had just happened. "Is he usually like that?" Odette looked over as Echo spoke to her.

Odette sighed as she pulled her helmet off. "He takes some getting used to."

"You cut your hair?" Fives was shocked by the new look. "I almost don't recognize you."

Odette opened her mouth to reply when her wrist beeped. "Got to go." She said quickly before putting her helmet back on and hurrying after Master Krell. "Apologies Master." She spoke up as she resumed walking just behind him.

"We are here to capture Umbara, not gossip." Krell scolded her. "Remember your training."

"Yes Master." Odette responded.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to get moving. There was a steady incline and many large plants blocking their way. Not to mention the constant twilight limiting their visibility. Despite all these thing, they were managing well enough. At least, that's what Odette was under the impression of.

"Quicken that pace Battalion." Krell ordered as they marched on. "This isn't some training exercise on Kamino!" Odette stayed right behind him, knowing that was her place.

She kept an eye on the surrounding area, making sure not to miss anything. She had gotten better at seeing shadows of the future. It was now controlling what she saw the future of that she was working on. So far, nothing was moving around them. She looked back at the clones, seeing their shadows stop and point up. Looking up, she saw two glowing creatures heading towards them.

"Ready your weapons!" She heard Rex call out behind her. Odette pulled out one of her blasters, taking out each creature with a single shot. It was easy to hit them with one shot when she knew where they would be in advance. "Uh, nice shots Kid."

Odette's head snapped in Rex's direction. She hadn't been called anything other than Commander since she had become Krell's padawan. No one dared address her as anything else. She could sense Krell looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do not call me that, Captain." She said nothing more as she put her blaster away and turned to Krell. "We are ready to keep moving Master."

"So it seems." Krell spoke calmly. "Remember men, we are not here to play with the animals. Now keep moving." He turned and continued walking, Odette behind him as she should be.

Odette stayed quiet as she cleared her mind of old thoughts, of so many names. None of the clones in Krell's Battalion were allowed names. Names brought attachment into the picture. Attachments led to complications and unnecessary pain and emotions. So it was better to not have a name, to forget names. Names like Plinko.

* * *

It was after 12 hours into their march that Rex picked up his pace and caught up with General Krell. "General Krell, the top of this ridge will make a good place for the men to make camp."

"The men don't need rest." Odette knew this argument all too well. It was how she built up the endurance to get through an entire training session with Master Krell. "They need the resolve to complete the task at hand."

"But Sir." Rex argued.

"CT-7567, are you reading me." Krell didn't even look at the clone as he spoke.

Rex was completely shocked, he had used his number. "Excuse me, Sir?"

"I asked you a question, CT-7567." Krell crossed his arms as he spoke and came to a stop. Odette stopped just past him, hoping to block herself from the emotions rolling off of Rex. "Do you understand the need to adhere to my strategy?"

Odette had to admit, Rex was bold to continue to argue with Master Krell. "Sir, the terrain is extremely hostile. Despite the difficulty of the conditions the Battalion is making good time. These men just need a little break."

Odette felt a slight chill as Krell moved to stand in front of Rex. "Captain, do I need to remind you of this Battalion's strategic mission in conquering this planet? Look back." He pointed behind Rex, drawing the Captain's attention. "See those platoons? Their mission is to take this city and take it swiftly. Time and rest are not luxuries the Republic can afford. We are the key to this invasion. The other Battalions are counting on our support. If we fail, everyone fails. Do you understand this? Do all of you understand this? Now move on."

Odette waited as Krell continued walking. She prepared to step back into line as Rex grabbed her arm. "Do you agree with him?" She didn't look back at him as she stepped away, letting her arm swing as he let it go. She kept her gaze down, knowing it was better if they followed her example and stopped antagonizing Krell. He wasn't like Anakin, so they couldn't act like they did around Skywalker while Krell was in command.

* * *

Everyone ready for the mental screwing Umbara is about to play on everyone? I honestly love this arc, but my gosh I hate what takes place during it. If that makes any sense.


	18. Accept

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

They made it to the main road far faster than anticipated. Odette wondered if possibly the enemy was not yet prepared for their arrival. She doubted it. The Umbarans seemed more than prepared for them. Possibly even too prepared.

She stood beside Master Krell with her helmet under her arm as the clones surveyed the main road. Captain Rex approached them with his report. "Sir, we're ready to bring our forward platoons in for a surgical strike on the city's defenses." Odette and Krell were aware of Skywalkers plan for attacking the city. She doubted Krell would go along with it. He was more familiar with frontal assaults and simple tactics.

"There won't be any need Captain." Krell stated calmly.

"Sir?" Captain Rex asked in confusion.

Odette could guess what the plan was going to be. "All platoons will execute a forward assault along the main route to the city." Krell instructed the Captain confidently.

Rex shook his head a bit as he processed the change in plan. "But Sir, General Skywalker's plan was to surprise them with multiple attacks. If we come in from the main route, they're likely to engage us in a full frontal assault." All his arguments were valid, but it was not part of the General's plan.

"Change of plans, Captain." Krell regarded the clone with a cold look. "I'm in command now." He looked towards the main road, their future battlefield.

Odette saw Rex was not about to give up the argument. She shook her head to try and dissuade him, but he continued anyway. "With all due respect General, we don't know what we are up against. It might be wiser to think first."

Odette could sense Krell's ire erupt at the clone before the Besalisk even turned towards the clone. "Are you questioning my order?" Krell looked down at the clone with annoyance. He straightened and activated the map on his wrist com. "This battalion will take the main road straight to the capital. You will not stop and you will not turn back, regardless of the resistance you meet. We will attack them with all our troops. Not some sneak attack with a few men. That is my order and you will follow it explicitly. Do I make myself clear CT-7567?" He glared down at the clone as he towered above him.

The air felt heavy and taunt for a moment. Rex let out a short sigh as he dropped his gaze. "Yes general."

Krell stepped out of the way and pointed towards the main road. "Now engage!" Krell ordered.

Odette watched Rex walk away, knowing he might likely die due to Master Krell's plan. Many men in the 501st were going to die before this was all over. She hated that she was part of it, but it was her place by her Master's side. It was no place for a Padawan to question their Master either. All she could do was watch and hope they would follow her example. Plinko always told her that was how she would protect the men under her.

It was quiet for a long while as they monitored the troop's progress down the road. It came as no surprise when the sounds of battle erupted down the road. Odette watched the battle, tracking where the Umbarans were attacking from. "Enemies on both sides of the road and all along it." She reported to Master Krell. The jedi remained impassive as the battle progressed.

Odette put her helmet on in order kept tabs on the com, listening for any request for reinforcements. It wasn't long until the blaster shots reached their position. Rex must have pulled back. Odette checked her map. Rex had managed to draw the Umbarans together in pursuit.

"Feeble minded clones." Krell complained in front of her. He turned to the men with them. "Get in there and save their necks." Odette shut her map off to engage, but Krell held a hand up. "Stay Padawan."

"But Master, I can end this more quickly." She argued.

"That is not your duty." Krell scolded her. "Our jobs as jedi is to lead and direct them. Not fight alongside them. we are not soldiers."

Odette was grateful her helmet hid her expression from Krell, she was sure she was glaring. "Yes Master. Forgive me." She resumed her relaxed stance beside her Master.

With the added troops and better positioning of the enemy, they were better able to push the Umbarans back. Once the enemy was gone, Krell made his way over to Rex. Odette followed, but stopped once she reached the troops. There was a wave of emotion coming off of Krell. Odette knew that while his emotions were strong, he never let them sway him and he was quick to let them go. That was something she struggled with, letting things go. So it was easier for her to ignore things to begin with.

"How can you stand him?" Odette looked over as Echo spoke up. It was easy to hear the disapproval in his voice.

She looked away from him. "He is my Master."

"Your 'Jedi' Master?" Odette couldn't look at the clone as he spoke.

She sensed Krell having finished reprimanding Rex and turn towards her. She straightened. "We must report this failure to the others." Krell spoke as he walked back towards their main forces, his arms linked behind his back.

Odette followed the jedi away from the road as the sounds of battle erupted once more. She gripped her fists as something inside of her wanted to turn and fight with the clones. She wanted to, but that was not her place. She was not a soldier, even if she was a fighter.

"In coming!" Odette turned as a clone shouted nearby. A ball of green was flying at them. Odette took both of her sabers and ignited them. Her black and white blades stopped the green ball for a moment before sending it back the way it came. Blaster fire erupted around them from multiple angles.

"We must move to a more secure location." Krell announced. "It is obvious that this route is now lost to us." He began walking away, expecting everyone to follow him.

"You heard him, move!" Rex called out as they regrouped and moved into the forest.

Krell didn't allow Odette to venture too far from him, but allowed her to use her sabers to deflect shots that came near. He kept to cover as the battle progressed. They set up a defense position beside one of the trees, holding position. Odette watched as the fighters retreated for a moment, but then star fighters began attacking.

Krell watched the battle with an unimpressed look. He took out his communicator as one of the other generals contacted him. It was Master Kenobi. "The capital city is too fortified." The jedi began. "We need your battalion to help us take it."

"Resistance from the Umbarans has been greater than anticipated." Krell reported. "We're holding our ground at the moment."

'Just barely.' Odette noted as Kix dragged another wounded clone to their position.

"We've gathered intel on an airbase to the west." Kenobi spoke. "It is resupplying the captial's defenses-"

"Incoming! Incoming!" A clone shouted as a green blast hit the ground nearby. "Get down! Get down!" Dirt fell onto them, but no damage was done.

Kenobi continued to give the information. "If you can capture that air base, it will sever the capital's supply lines. Allowing our forces to move in."

"I'll see to it that the airbase is placed under our control." Krell declared.

"Remember General Krell, the entire invasion depends on your battalion." With that said, the transmission ended.

Krell put the com away. "Captain Rex, have those coordinates mapped and all troops ready to move out immediately."

"Yes Sir." Rex announced before getting to work.

Odette followed Krell as he walked westward. It wasn't long until their troops began moving and the sounds of battle faded into the silence of Umbara. It was creepy how quiet it was as they headed toward the airbase. The only sounds came from the troops on the AT-RT units.

* * *

Soon they reached a cliff with a perfect vantage point of the airbase. Odette looked through her jedi scope as Rex looked through his clone issued pair. The base was large and heavily fortified.

"There's a base there alright and it's heavily guarded." Rex reported. "At least three tank divisions plus guns."

"We'll advance along the central gorge and engage their forces in a full frontal assault." Odette could have mimed with Master Krell. It was always a frontal assault. An honorable thing to meet one's enemy head on, but sometimes it was not the best option.

Rex knelt down as he checked out the gorge below them. "The gorge is narrow, Sir. We'll only be able to move our platoons in single squads. Perhaps a closer recon will tell us if there is a more secure route." He got up and faced the general, noting how the jedi looked to be contemplating his suggestion this time.

Krell lowered his hand from his face. "Obi-wan and the other battalions are holding of the enemy right now, while they wait for us to take out this base." He shook his head. "We don't have time to look for a more secure route." With that said he turned to leave.

"Perhaps," Odette started. She wished she hadn't spoken up as Krell paused and slowly turned to her. "Perhaps it would be beneficial then if I lead the assault. I believe my abilities to foresee attacks may be an advantage. We know the enemy will not be behind us. So it is only the front were there is danger."

Krell paused as he faced his padawan. "Do you believe yourself ready for command?"

Odette looked down at her Master's feet, not able to hold his strong gaze. "No Master Krell, but I would like to at least try." She looked back up as she held her ground in front of the Jedi Master.

"Do or do not, there is no try." Krell quoted master Yoda to his padawan. "Go." With his simple command he turned and walked away.

Odette did not know what to think. He had actually agreed to let her go off on her own. It took her a moment before she took a step and began leading the way down the steep cliff side. "Do you agree with the general's plan?" Odette looked over at Captain Rex as he caught up to her.

Odette looked away from the Captain. "No."

Rex nodded. "New sabers? They're different colors."

"I broke my other one." Odette admitted. "Back on Lola Sayu."

Rex watched the girl. She had changed considerably since they had last fought together. "So, still seeing things?" Odette found herself letting out a single chuckle before schooling herself. A habit she had developed. Rex felt bad, she had had to deal with Krell for so long she had developed such strict habits with herself. Almost like she was programmed. "You can relax a bit now. Krell's not here."

"This would go a lot faster if he helped." Odette looked over as Fives and Echo joined them.

"A general's job is to coordinate and plan out attacks." Odette droned out from memory. "Not actively participate in combat."

Echo chuckled. "Tell that to General Skywalker." Rex chuckled a bit as well.

"You sound a bit like Echo when we were cadets." Fives pointed out. He could see Odette knew what he was talking about, she couldn't look at him. "How much fighting experience you got? Krell didn't seem too keen on sending you down here."

"He's hardly let me leave the cruiser." Odette admitted. "Last time I drew my saber before this mission was probably the Citadel mission."

Rex looked at their commander. "I could almost call you a shiny."

Odette held herself back from laughing, but a smile broke onto her face. "You could. This is the first time this armor has gotten anywhere close to a battle. Since I got it after the Citadel it is technically shiny." The men laughed with her that time. She paused as her habit kicked in. "That was informal."

Rex frowned as Odette became Commander Kryze once more. "Why is Krell so rigid?"

"It's his way of doing things." Odette had no other explanation for them. This was just how her Master was. They reached the bottom of the gorge and gathered their men together for a briefing.

Echo looked around as the men gathered. "I guess Commander Kryze is in charge." She was the highest ranking officer among them.

"Right." Odette realized she hadn't really led a briefing before. "But I recall hearing from Ahsoka that experience outranks everything. A quote of yours, Captain Rex?"

Rex looked to Odette. "Possibly."

Odette smirked as she removed her helmet and shook out her short curls. "Good, because while Krell may not entirely approve of my participation, he did put me in charge. I'm counting on your help on this one."

Rex took off his own helmet and looked to the Commander. "Is that so? We doing this by the book?"

"I think the book would be better thrown at the Umbarans at this point." Odette admitted. "They might take a page out of it and make this easy for us." Rex chuckled as they turned to the men. "All yours Captain."

Rex nodded towards Odette before looking to the men. "It's not going to be easy. We've got enemy with weapons we've never seen in an environment we don't know. But that hasn't stopped us before." He looked to Echo and Fives. "Echo, Fives, see if you can borrow a few fighters from that airbase. The rest of us are going to draw the enemy out of their little nest."

With the plan set they divided the men into squads while their small team snuck towards the airbase. Odette hoped Krell didn't see them leave, it would certainly keep him off their backs for now. Which also meant less chance for any punishment later. There was still a good chance there were some sort of repercussion for their nonconformity to Krell's plan.

Odette had her sabers out but not extended as they walked through the misty forest. She kept her guard up and senses spread out. She did not want to be caught off guard.

Her com beeped as Rex checked in. "Anything down there?"

Odette paused under a plant and surveyed the area around her. "Nothing, present or future." Something didn't feel right. "You see anything from up there?"

"I can't see anything through this soup." Rex responded. "And the glowing plants are messing with the night vision in our helmets."

Odette had to agree, they were not prepared for this planet. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a future image. Some sort of crawling machine coming out of the ground. "Contact! Coming from below!" She called out as the ground began to rumble and move. All of her troops were prepared when the first crawling machine broke out form the ground. It began firing at them form it's legs and from turrets on it's back as a few more crawling machines railed out form beneath the earth.

Odette ignited her sabers and slashed at the machines, but the contraptions were ray-shielded. "Kriff." She cursed under her breath. She pressed the button for her com on her helmet. "Rex, I need rocket launchers and grenades. These things are ray-shielded."

"In coming!" Rex spoke over the com as rockets launched from just behind their position. It hit two of the crawlers, but left several more still functioning. "Pull back! There are too many of them."

Odette had to agree with the captain. They didn't have an endless supply of rockets. Staying out in the open was the best for their odds. "Any suggestions?" She took to deflecting shots from the crawlers as she searched for an exit.

Rex came up beside her and kept shooting at the crawlers around them. "There's a cave in behind the trees over there." Odette looked over, spotting the trees the captain spoke of. "We can lose them through the trees. They're too big to follow."

Odette nodded, agreeing with the plan. "Troops, fall back into the trees." She gave the order and held her ground as the men ran past her and into the trees. She put her sabers away as the last of her men cleared the battle ground. The crawlers were turning around and heading in her direction. "Do or do not." She repeated to herself as she delved into the force, grabbing onto the crawlers.

She gritted her teeth as the crawlers wiggled in her grasp. She doubted she could hold them for long. Or even pick them up. At the moment she was only holding them back.

"Commander! Get out of there!" With a solid push, Odette forced the crawlers back, giving her enough time to reach the trees and slip away. "That was cutting it close." Rex remarked as Odette joined the rest of them.

Odette shrugged. "Made it didn't I?" She chuckled as Rex shook his head. "Do I still remind you of Master Skywalker?"

"Lately, yes." Rex admitted as he turned his attention towards the only opening large enough for the crawlers to reach them. "Those things aren't going to leave us alone. We need to be ready for them."

Odette nodded as she looked over at the long entrance tunnel to their location. "I'm going to guess that you already have a plan."

"What gave you that impression?" Rex asked jokingly. "Let's get to work. Jesse! Bring all the thermal detonators we got."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to rig up a trap for those crawlers. They lined the tunnel like entrance to the cave with explosives and would blow them to pieces once they were on top of them. Odette knew the enemy's ray-shields wouldn't hold out against their ambush.

"Now we draw them in." Rex spoke up as he held onto the detonator.

They all waited until the crawlers came into view. Then began shouting at them, drawing them in. Odette was surprised the Umbarans actually came towards them. Could they not sense that something was up? Or were they too blinded by the thought of victory to think things through?

"Here they come. Everyone get to cover." Rex ordered as the crawlers began making their way through the narrow pass towards them. Odette stayed above the lip of the recess the men were using as cover. She knew Rex would have to cut it close if they wanted to catch all the crawlers. Plus, they didn't know if this would even work.

Once the last of the crawlers enter their trap, Rex pushed the trigger. The explosives began going off, lifting the crawlers and knocking them into each other. One by one, each crawler sustained enough damage that they began to explode and damage the others around them.

Rex grabbed onto Odette as she watched the destruction and pulled her down behind the recess. "That seemed to work out just fine." Rex commented as the crawlers continued to explode in their trap. "Any word from Fives or Echo?" He asked the men, hoping for some news.

"Nothing." Jesse reported.

"They're fine." Odette mused as she sat up. "Come on, we've got to get to that airbase." She got up from her spot and began making her way around their cover. The men followed behind her.

They made their way past the still burning wreckage of the crawlers and back into the jungle of Umbara. It didn't take long until they reached the spot where they had first encountered the crawlers. There were still men of the 501st scattered around, unmoving.

One of the wrecked crawlers nearby gave a flicker of life. Odette felt an anger swell in her as she pulled out both of her Mandalorian blasters and fired several times at the glowing pod. The body of an Umbaran fell out through the broken dura-glass, laying unmoving on the ground.

Odette replaced her blasters and kept moving, growing numb to the sight of dead men scattered around her. "The airbase should be just on the other side of that gorge." Rex reported as he walked alongside her. They both paused as the ground shook a bit. "Did you feel that?"

Looking around, Odette stretched out her senses, hoping to see what was coming. In the distance Odette spotted it, a massive tank unit. "Take cover!" Odette ordered the men. They all dispersed and hid behind trees and foliage as the rhythmic thumping became louder. "Does that sound like more than one tank?" She asked Rex with a bit of worry.

Rex took a peek around the corner, lowering his range finder. He turned back around and put it back up. "There's three tanks." He answered with a bit of surprise. "I guess we made them angry."

"We need to retreat." Kix spoke up. "We don't have that many rockets left. And i doubt they'll even work against those things."

Odette had to admit, the medic had a point, but she had a crazy idea. "I want to try something." She moved through the trees away from the tanks. ' _Hey, how do I do that switching places thing?_ '

' **You wish to use my power?** ' The Son asked with mocking surprise. ' **I thought the dark side was beneath you jedi.** '

' _Well, right now I need it._ ' Odette stepped out into the road, getting a good look at the three tanks and all of the men following her command. ' _I need it to protect them._ '

' **Good.** ' The Son growled. ' **Use that desire. Focus it. Want it. Need it. Force it to your will. That is the dark side. That is my power.** '

Odette took a deep breath as she reached into the force, focusing on what she wanted it to do. She focused on the tank closest to her, looking towards the cockpit where the driver would be. She could feel the Force trying to resist, but she held onto it and pushed it. The tank charged up some sort of electrical blast, but Odette couldn't break her focus.

Rex watched as Odette just stood there. Some dirt was picking up around her, but otherwise she wasn't moving or doing anything. The tank was getting ready to fire. "Odette, get out of there!" He called over the coms. When she still didn't move, he ran through the trees towards the jedi. The tanks probably knew they were there, but there was no point in giving away exactly where they were. Not to mention Kix was near him.

When he got side by side with Odette, he spoke again. "Kid, whatever you're doing is not working." She didn't even acknowledge him. He got ready to move when a loud hum erupted from the tank. Rex registered the wall of electricity as it swept passed him and demolished all organic things in it's path. He also blinked in shock as his mind processed what he had seen. Just before the bright wall hit Odette, she vanished. It was an Umbaran soldier that got vaporized.

"I think it worked just fine Captain." Rex let out a sigh of relief as Odette spoke up over the coms. "Now, time to figure out how to drive this thing." Guess he was right, she was exactly like General Skywalker.

Odette moved carefully inside of the tank. Her hands were inside of holo-controls. There was a good chance every movement of her hand and fingers would factor into controlling this massive machine. She moved both her hands forward and was pleased when the tank began moving forward. Once she was in a more open area, she turned the tank around and faced the two remaining tanks. "Let's play."

' **My thoughts exactly.** ' The Son spoke as he cloaked himself around the young jedi, feeding her more of his power.

Odette felt a chill run down her spine as her vision cleared and focused on her objective. She didn't need the Son's help, but she wouldn't push it away. Not when his power had already helped her in this fight. As if on instinct she moved her hands and fingers, charging up her main gun. She fired, hitting the back tank squarely and sending it to the ground, blocking the middle tank in.

The middle tank fired at her. The Son lifted Odette's hand, catching the blast in the force. Odette stared in shock at the hovering shot. ' _You can do that?_ ' She asked in disbelief. Was this the true power of the dark side?

The Son chuckled. ' **You can do that...with my power.** '

Odette walked over to the dura-glass and shattered it with a push of the force. She jumped out of the tank and walked up to the remaining tank. She could see that it was struggling to move. Stuck in her hold just like the blast above her.

Odette released the blast as she reached out and grabbed the final tank. With a growl she began crumpling the remaining tank. It felt good. She was strong and powerful. Nothing could stand in her way.

The shot of several fighters distracted her and broke her concentration. The men jumped into action as the fighters would hover and fire on anything they saw move. Rex joined Odette in cover by the wrecked tank. "Since when could you do that?"

"I don't know." Odette answered honestly. She pulled out her sabers and began blocking shots as a fighter began focusing on them. "These ray-shields are annoying." She growled before spinning out of the way of a shot and managing to force push the fighter back. "Now would be a good time for Echo and Fives to show up."

As if on cue, a pair of fighters joined the fray. They didn't fly as precisely as the others, but they managed to shoot down a few. Odette chuckled as she grabbed onto the last Umbaran fighter and pulled it to the ground, destroying it. She turned on her com. "Nice flying."

"It's not as easy as it looks." Fives commented back.

"Let me give it a try." Odette commented as she focused on Fives in the ship. In a rush of senses, she now sat in the fighter and Fives stood on the ground beside Rex. She steadied her hands and hovered beside Echo. "Bit less stable than the tank. Same basic principle though. Keep hands and fingers still, then make small smooth motions."

Fives shook his head as he came to the realization of what had just happened. "So, you can do that at will now?" He saw Commander Kryze shrug inside the fighter.

"We'll catch up at the airbase." Rex spoke up, knowing they still had a mission to complete. "Think you and Echo can handle yourselves till we get there?"

"I think we can manage." Odette turned her fighter towards the airbase. "Come on Echo."

* * *

It took them no time at all to take the airbase. Echo and Fives had done some damage on the way out with their fighters. Plus there weren't many soldiers on the base to begin with. Odette and Echo managed to capture most of the soldiers before Rex arrived with the others to help. It wasn't long after that that General Krell arrived with the rest of the 501st.

"Padawan." Odette squared off and pushed the Son back into the recesses of her consciousness as her Master approached. "It seems efficiency did indeed come of your leadership. Perhaps I should have sent you alone. Then we wouldn't have wasted so much time." Krell looked around at the clones nearby. "CT-7567, report."

Rex squared up as the General addressed him by number. "We've taken the airbase and cut off arms to the capital."

"Good." Krell replied. "You are dismissed to finish securing the base. Padawan, follow me."

Odette followed Krell as he made his way towards the command tower. She tried to calm herself as her mind raced with thoughts and fears. Had Master Krell felt her use the dark side? Was he going to punish her? This wouldn't be the first time.

"You put yourself at risk today, Padawan." Krell began his lecture. "Several times in fact. Jedi are not to form attachments. That includes relations with the clones. They don't need your protection. They don't need your pity or sympathy. They are clones, manufactured for our needs in this conflict." They arrived at the base of the tower. "Climb. Climb this tower and meditate atop it until you've centered yourself. A jedi should never use the dark side, for any reason. Is that understood, Padawan?" His voice became a low growl by the end of his scolding.

"Yes, Master." Odette responded.

"Remove your helmet, armor and weapons." Krell ordered. "You won't need them up there." With that said, he walked away.

Odette let out a sigh as she removed her helmet. She them removed her belt and began removing the armor plates from her clothing. Soon she was left in just her jedi tunic and leggings. She ground felt oddly comforting against her bare feet. She took a look at the tower in front of her and gaged how high it was. It would probably take her about half an hour to climb it. "Guess I better get started."

* * *

Gosh that took longer than I thought it would. I feel like I say that for every chapter.

Hi, I'm back! With everything going on, my work hours have been reduced, but I live at work(literally), so I still work everyday. But I got a new keyboard, so now I can actually write.

Stay tuned as more of this story will come. Warning though, Disney+ comes out on March 24th in the UK(birthday present to myself), so I won't be posting around then as I will be binging the Mandalorian and the new Clone Wars season.

We will see how my changes will actually affect things. Especially since there are still more changes to come. Some of them rather significant.

Thank you for your continued support and patience. You guys are the best!


	19. Desire

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

A few hours had definitely passed by the time Krell finally called Odette inside after setting her to meditate on top of the air base's command tower. She got her armor pieces reattached and set in place before making her way inside the tower and up to the command center where Krell was waiting for her. Odette kept her helmet tucked under her arm as she prepared herself to speak with her Master.

The doors opened and Odette walked out of the lift and into the quiet command center. Clones were working on the systems as Krell studied a holo-map. "Master." Odette greeted the jedi as she stepped up beside him, but still keeping further back from the map than he was. Krell always required himself to be above those beneath him. It was his right as the highest in command.

"Padawan, take look at this." Odette stepped up to the holo-map of the capital of Umbara. "It seems the capital is still heavily armed, despite our victory here. The other Generals are holding their positions and waiting for our troops."

Odette guessed there would be no more sneaking passed or going around the enemy. "What's the plan?"

"We march on the capital." Krell moved the map to show their route. "Their heavy canons will pose some difficulty, but your foresight should give us ample time to avoid them. I'm counting on you, Padawan. This entire battalion is counting on your ability to see clearly."

"Yes Master." Odette replied, feeling the weight of just what she was tasked with doing.

"Go, train and meditate. You need to be focused." Odette bowed to her master as he dismissed her.

As Odette rode the lift back to the main entrance, she chose to keep her helmet removed. She would put it in her room before beginning her training and meditation. That way she wouldn't be interrupted by any chatter on the coms.

As she made her way to the small outbuilding that served as her's and Master Krell's dwellings, she could see Captain Rex heading for the command tower. Krell was probably about to brief him on the plan. Odette had to admit, she didn't like the plan, but they needed to help and this was the best they could do with what they had. She would just have to do what she could to keep as many men alive as she could.

"Commander!" Odette looked over as Echo waved her down from a nearby hanger. "Can we get your help with something?" He asked as he approached the young jedi.

Odette fiddled with the helmet in her hands. "I have training to get to." She offered as an excuse. It was weak, but it was still true.

Echo waved it off. "This'll only take a second. You can spare a few right? It's not like General Krell is waiting for you inside." He pointed towards the empty officer's building.

Odette thrummed her fingers on the helmet as she thought. "I guess a few minutes couldn't hurt." She caved as she slid her helmet over her head. "Let's go." She followed the ARC trooper back over to the hanger he had come out of. She could see they were locking down the Umbaran ships.

Jesse tapped a few buttons on a control panel as a pod dislodged itself form a ship and set itself down on the ground. Fives got out of the pod. "Anymore?" He asked as he looked around the hanger. That was the last ship on the ground, but not all of them were secured.

"They don't look too hard to fly." Hardcase commented as he moved a cannon unit off to the side. "Maybe I could try flying one?"

"Hardcase, let's not blow up the airbase we tried so hard to get." Odette chastised the trigger happy clone gently.

Jesse chuckled. "Yeah, what she said." He continued locking down ships. "So, what's the plan?"

Odette leaned back onto a nearby crate. "We continue on to the capital. Taking this airbase didn't change anything."

"So, what are we up against?" Fives asked as he removed his helmet.

"Long range canons for the most part." Odette tried not to seem worried. It would just cause unnecessary panic and anger. Emotions like that would stop them from being able to work as a battalion. "If I focus long enough and prepare, I should be able to see where their shots will land almost as soon as they are fired."

Echo thought it wasn't too much of a suicide plan this time. "How long will it take for the shots to land?"

"About 13.4 seconds at it's furthest range." She answered. "It's a rough estimate from General Kenobi."

"Sounds like plenty of time." Tup answered with heavy sarcasm. He was not thrilled with the plan.

"It's better than no time at all, I guess." Fives didn't like the sounds of this plan either.

Echo could see why his brothers weren't thrilled the idea of battle this time around, it was sounding more like a suicide plan than they originally thought. "How long do you think it will take until the Umbarans figure out we can anticipate their shots?" He shook his head as he thought of how the enemy could then counter Commander Kryze's ability. "Marching on the capital doesn't seem to be a good option."

"No, it's not." They all looked over as Rex joined them in the hanger.

"So it's true." Fives confirmed. "We're marching on the capital. Is Krell trying to get us killed?"

"General Krell is confident in Commander Kryze's abilities." Rex countered, hoping to keep the men unified. Arguing amongst each other would only cause problems.

"The casualties are going to be high." Kix spoke up. "And they're already way outside of our usual numbers. Krell is being far too reckless." He was not pleased with how things were going. Usually he had enough men and supplies to treat their wounded and wounded from other battalions. With Krell they were having to leave more men for dead than Kix cared to think about.

Rex could see the medic was at his limit, they all were. "Can't we just wait for the capital to use up it's resources? Starve them out?" Jesse asked as he leaned on the control panel.

"They've got a ship supplying them from orbit." Odette explained. "And so far no one's been able to bring it down."

"What if we use their tech?" Fives asked. "We have their codes and their fighters. We could sneak right passed their defenses."

Rex admitted it was a feasible plan, but there were still problems with it. "We don't have the men to spare for a mission like that. Not to mention that fact that were not pilots and don't have the time to practice and train."

"They don't look that hard to fly." Hardcase spoke up. "If Fives and Echo can do it, so can we."

"But you're Hardcase." Odette spoke up. "You're not Echo or Fives. You may all share the same genetic code, but you're not each other." She then looked over at Rex. "But that doesn't mean they won't succeed if they try."

Rex eyed the Mandalorian jedi through her helmet. "Are you suggesting we send men up in Umbaran fighters to try and bring down the supply ship?"

Odette shrugged. "Beats walking into long range canon fire."

"Can't you just catch them like you did before?" Dogma asked curiously.

Odette looked down at the ground as she felt the chilling call of the dark side, the power it had given her. "The long range canon shots are going to be much bigger than the shots form those tanks...and I can't use that while Krell is nearby." Her voice quieted as she spoke, but the men still heard her.

"Isn't Krell suppose to be teaching you?" Jesse asked. "Shouldn't he see you using your abilities to help you use them better?"

"Holding shot like that...isn't something a jedi should be able to do." Odette explained. The men remained silent for a bit, unsure how to respond. "It's best if he doesn't find out about that. The last thing I need is the council doubting me. They already don't trust me because of my father." They all nodded, agreeing to keep it from the General.

"So, when do we fly out?" Fives asked optimistically.

"Don't know." Rex responded. "I doubt the General will agree to this plan."

Odette pushed off of the crate, standing straight. "It's worth a try."

* * *

"No." Odette wasn't at all surprised by Krell's answer. "We don't have the men to spare, nor the time." Krell walked away from the Captain and his padawan and looked out the window at the air base they were occupying. Long range shots from the Capital landed just beyond their position. "The other battalions are waiting for us. We can't delay any longer than we already have to. Dismissed, Captain."

"Yes General." Rex answered as he put his helmet back on and left the tower.

Odette stayed put as Rex went off to tell the others they wouldn't be flying. She didn't agree with Krell, but his decision was final, as always.

"Padawan." Odette stiffened as Master Krell addressed her. "I thought I had sent you to meditate and prepare for the coming assault on the Capital. You disobeyed me again."

Odette looked down at her master's feet, not daring to catch his eye should he look over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Master. They asked for help-"

"They do not need your help." Krell answered sternly as he turned and faced his Padawan. "Go, and do not come before me until it is time to leave for the capital. Is that understood?"

"Yes Master." Odette answered before turning towards the lift.

"Padawan, leave your helmet here." Odette took a moment as she looked at her helmet. She hesitated as she placed it down on a nearby table, her fingers lingering on it as she stepped away. "Go." With a deep breath she left the Command tower and Master Krell.

She had to admit she felt rather naked without her helmet, exposed. Odette never realized how much comfort wearing her helmet gave her. Not to mention the history in her armor. Unlike her first set of armor, her new armor was forged from family beskar. It was part of her family history and she felt lost without all of it.

Odette made her way back to her room, not looking up from her path. She entered the room and locked the door behind her. She then sat in the center of her room and focused on her breathing, clearing her mind of all thoughts. She needed to focus and prepare for their march ahead.

'I never knew you to be one to give up so easily.' Odette let out a frustrated sigh as the Son spoke up. 'He hasn't broken you yet. I've seen your resilience.'

"I'm just picking my battles." Odette admitted as she relaxed her body. "You've been awfully quiet."

'Picking my battles.' Odette rolled her eyes as the Son threw her own words back at her. 'So...where will you be fighting next? Even I know sending a few men to die on a suicide mission is a better alternative to walking to one's death. Choosing the lesser of two evils so to speak.'

Odette let out a sigh as she laid back on the floor. "You know, you're confusing." She could sense the Son's curiosity towards her statement. "You're the embodiment of the dark side, yet you're not wrong sometimes. A bit misguided, but not evil. It's...confusing."

'Light and dark are not the same as good or evil. Father used to say that all the time.' The Son spoke reminiscently. 'You are correct in your assumption of my embodied darkness. I am selfishly selfless, doing everything in my power, and by any means, to get what I want. Be it freedom for myself or for another.'

"Or protecting those you care about." Odette spoke up as she looked at her gloved hands. She took a deep breath as she came to terms with what she was about to do. "Time to go to war." She got up and removed more pieces of her armor. She left herself with her shin guards, bracers, chest and back plates. It would be easier to move around like this.

Odette used a vent to leave the room, knowing leaving through the front door would give her plan away. She crawled through the vent to the outside world. The vent released easily from the wall and Odette lowered it to the ground silently. She slipped out of the vent and stuck to the shadows as she made her way towards the hanger the others were hanging out in.

She spotted them heading out towards the perimeter. "What are you up to?" Odette wondered as she watched them. Looking around the hanger, she noticed a charred door and most of the fighters being locked down. "What did you guys get up to?" She wondered as she snuck around more.

Beyond the wrecked hanger, there was an open airfield where four ships sat parked. Odette grinned as she made her way towards a group of clones going through their checklist. She walked out and over to the troops. "Hey, these fighters ready?"

The three clones looked at Commander Kryze. "General Krell ordered all fighters to be locked down. Just about to start on these ones."

"That won't be necessary." Odette spoke up as she willed the force through the clones, influencing their thoughts. "These fighters are to be used on a mission. They don't need to be locked down. General Krell is aware of those and doesn't need to be told."

"These fighters don't need to be locked down. They're for a mission. General Krell already knows." One of the clones repeated before all three of them walked away. Odette let out a sigh as they left, her work done for now.

It wasn't long until Fives came walking around the corner with Echo, Jesse and Hardcase. "Commander." Fives greeted the jedi. "We were just...um..."

"I was wondering when you boys would show up." Odette spoke up as Fives fumbled with his words. "You don't have much time to take out that supply ship. Krell is still intent on marching in 6 hours."

"You're letting us go?" Echo asked in a bit of surprise.

"I would go with you, but you seem to have your team together." Odette answered as she looked at the four of them. "I swear I'm looking at a team of ARC troopers or commandos."

"We're way better." Hardcase spoke up.

Odette sensed a ripple in the force, Krell was on the move. "You better get going." The four clones made their way towards the ships. "I'll do what I can to help when you get back. Just make sure you come back."

"You got it Commander." Fives called out as he started up his fighter. The others followed suit and soon they were flying off into the darkened sky of Umbara.

"Good luck." Odette whispered as she watched them fly off. She soon heard others coming her way and slipped back into the shadows. She stopped as she spotted Krell leaving the tower. She panicked a bit thinking he was heading for their barracks, but he deviated towards one of the hangers. She took the opportunity to return to her room through the vent.

She sagged to the floor once she was back inside the room. Now it was only a matter of waiting for Fives and his team to return. She knew they would accomplish their mission. The two ARC troopers were very resourceful and the men of the 501st certainly seemed to take after Master Skywalker's example. The only question would be what Krell had planned for them when they came back.

There was a knock on the door that pulled Odette from her thoughts. She was surprised to find Captain Rex on the other side. "Rex, is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to thank you for letting the deck officers know about the recon mission to survey the delta." Rex spoke up formally.

Odette raised her eyebrow as she looked around, there was no one around. "You didn't have to take the heat for that." She told Rex as she relaxed. She had thought Krell was around due to his speech pattern.

"Krell was already blaming it on me." Rex explained. "Do you have a plan for when they get back?"

They both paused in their conversation as something lit up the sky. They looked up to see something yellow lighting up the thick cloud cover. They both knew it to be an explosion and mostly likely the Separatist supply ship.

"I've got one." Odette explained. "None of you are going to like it, but it's the best one we've got."

"You don't have to take the heat for this either." Rex told her as he caught onto her plan.

"I outrank you, so it is part of my job. Besides, as a jedi I technically have the authority to authorize missions like this." Odette shrugged as she headed for the airfield Five's team had taken off from.

Rex followed beside her. "Krell's still not going to like it."

"I've gotten used to Krell not liking things, but this time I'm not backing down." She could feel a fire burning in her. She was done being worried about what the jedi thought of her. She didn't think highly of him and she didn't care what he thought of her.

Soon four ships landed in the airfield. Fives was the first to get out of his ship. "What a nice welcome party." He remarked as he walked over to the Captain and Commander.

"Great work, all of you." Odette complimented them.

"Couldn't have done it without Hardcase." Jesse joked as he grabbed his brother in a headlock. "Launched one of his canons at the controls of a ray shield. Just about blew us up along with the supply ship." Hardcase tried his hardest to push his brother off of him.

"Glad to see you all made it back in one piece." Rex spoke, pride evident in his voice.

They were all distracted as the doors to the tower opened loudly. They all watched as three troopers walked over to them. Odette could make out the arrow of Sergeant Appo's helmet as he neared. "General Krell would like to see them in the tower."

Odette looked between the men, they had known this was coming. She walked alongside Rex at the front of the group as they made their way towards General Krell. They entered the lift and took it to the top of the tower. "Alright, follow my lead and hopefully we get out of this with nothing more than scowls and some harsh words of reprimand."

"So, you have a plan?" Fives asked in surprise.

"The idea of one at least." Odette found herself wishing she had her helmet right now.

Rex could tell the woman beside him was nervous, he could see it in her eyes. "We've worked with less before."

They quieted as the doors opened and they filled into the command room. "You wanted to see these men, Master." Odette spoke up as she stood in front of Fives and the others.

Krell turned and regarded his Padawan and the clones she stood in front of. He noticed she had discarded much of her armor. She looked more like an armored jedi than a Mandalorian. "Indeed. It seems they have accomplished a very brave act. Unfortunately they've also committed a serious crime by directly disobeying my order."

"While under my orders." Odette countered with a harsh voice. "No different than back on Jedda."

"That little debacle nearly cost us Jedda, Padawan." Krell countered with a growl.

"My apologies for thinking you held your men to the same standards as other battalions, Master." Odette could feel the tension in the room. "Master Skywalker has always spoke highly of what his men were capable of. I thought only to put that faith to the test. And by the looks of how things have turned out, my gamble paid off." She held onto Krell's gaze as he openly glared at her. "These men are loyal to a fault, and just like all men, they won't pass up the chance for a fight. I authorized this mission and order their ships not to be locked down."

Krell paused for a moment, rubbing his chin while in thought. "So you directly went behind my back on a whim in hopes that it would have some positive outcome?!"

"It was our plan-" Odette quickly shut Fives up with a look as she spun her head to look at him.

"I'm sure you would like me to believe it was your idea, CT-5555." Krell looked form the ARC trooper back to his Padawan. "However, I already know the truth of the matter. You would learn well to remember who is the Master, Padawan." He looked at the clones that stood behind the young woman. "You are dismissed. I will speak with my Padawan in private."

Odette could feel the others looking to her. She gave them a nod. Without another word they all left the room, leaving her alone with Krell. "Master I-"

Krell raised a hand to stop her form speaking. "It was out of line for you to authorize such a mission. I am gravely disappointed in you. Especially with your blatant use of the dark side and neglect in telling me." Odette cringed a bit thinking how foolish she was to think he wouldn't notice. "Perhaps it is not the Jedi you belong with."

Odette felt a chill run down her back. "Master? What do you mean?" Was he going to expel her from the order? Was he saying she belonged back on Mandalore?

"Have you not felt it through your gifts Padawan? The time of the Jedi and Republic are coming to a close." Krell began to speak. "A new order shall rise. We can rise with it. As Master and Apprentice we can take command of the coming storm and rise above it. We simply need to play our cards right."

It felt like a strike of lightning as the truth dawned on her. "You mean to betray the republic. Or are you already an agent of Dooku?" Odette felt her hands drift down towards her sabers as Krell watched her come to her conclusion.

"Not yet, but I will be welcomed with open arms once I drive the Republic from Umbara." Krell picked up Odette's helmet and regarded it casually. "Will you join me, or be destroyed?"

Odette felt the fire erupt within her as she leveled a glare with Krell. "I'll take my chances." She ducked as her helmet flew through the air and bounced off the door to the room. She ran forwards as she ignited her blades and swung at Krell. The larger jedi ignited one blade and held back both of her blades. Odette backed up as Krell swung with his second blade, missing her midsection by a breath.

Odette could feel the flow of the force as she drew on it. It was saturated in darkness. "You use the dark side."

"Just as you are, Padawan." Krell watched the young girl carefully. "However, I do not lack the will to use it." With all four of his arms he pushed out towards the Mandalorian.

Odette saw Krell move a moment before he did. She retracted her blades as she pushed the force out to brace herself against the push. It hit her as if Krell had physically struck her, pushing her back and off of her feet. She stopped as she hit the door, ringing it loudly.

For a moment her vision darkened before everything became tinged with red. 'Shall we show him just how much he is lacking?' The Son purred from the back of her mind. The Son lifted her hand towards Krell, gripping him tightly as they lifted him off the ground. "It's not 'will' that allows one to use the darkness. It's 'desire', and yours is weak and pathetic. Just like you."

"Commander stop!" Odette heard Fives speaking beside her, but she kept her focus on Krell. "Snap out of it!" He tried to move her arm, but he wasn't strong enough.

"Odette, you have to stop." The Son grumbled as the clones continued to try and distract his pupil. Odette could see Rex in her peripherals. "This isn't the way to do things."

'Concentrate!' The Son growled at Odette as her grip on Krell began to lessen. 'If you lose focus he will free himself. He will kill everyone here!'

Odette shut her eyes as she pushed the Son aside and let Krell drop to the floor. She let out a breath as she opened her eyes and assessed the damage. Krell was certainly alive, and conscious. "I'm sorry." She whispered to everyone around her at her outburst.

"That was a grave mistake Padawan." Everyone looked to Krell as he stood up to his full height.

Odette stepped forward and reignited her blades. "Pong Krell, you're being relieved of duty. I'm not letting you give this planet to the Separatist." She could sense the confusion coming from the clones behind her.

Krell chuckled. "You think they'll believe you? You're the one using the dark side. What reason do they have to believe you?"

Odette took a moment to look back at Rex and the boys. She could see that they weren't sure what to do.

Echo was the first to draw his blasters and aim at Krell. "She hasn't given us a reason not to trust her. Or to believe she doesn't have our best interest at heart. Unlike you, General Krell." One by one the others all took aim at Krell. "Come quietly and we can get to the bottom of this."

Odette saw Krell lash out and acted on instinct. She tripped up the clones and she herself dropped to the ground. She hit the floor just as Krell pushed out with the force. They all slid back maybe an inch before it stopped. Odette instantly got to her feet and ignited her blades again.

"I will not be undermined by creatures bred in some laboratory." He growled as he charged forward.

Odette met him halfway and maneuvered around him. As long as she kept his attention on her he wouldn't go attacking Rex and the others. She took full advantage of her foresight to be able to miss his strikes as she searched for an opening in his guard. They had practiced enough that she was fairly familiar with Krell's fighting style.

Her eyes widened as an image vanished, breaking her concentration. Krell's fist met her face, knocking her back. "You should learn to adapt Padawan. Your gifts aren't all knowing."

"Then why don't I take a page from your book?" Odette used both of her hands as she lashed out at Krell with both the light and dark side of the force. Once she got his feet off the ground she gave one more push, sending him through the window. Odette took a breath before realizing she needed to follow Krell, she couldn't let him escape. He had highly classified Republic intel.

"Come on!" Rex called out as he and the men headed for the lift. "Commander!" He called out.

Odette looked down from the broken window then back at Rex. "You try to head him off. I'll meet you outside." She called back as she took a step out the window, plummeting to the ground. She pushed down with the force to slow her descent before flipping over and landing on her feet. She spotted Krell standing behind a squad of clones aiming at her.

"Stand down Commander Kryze." Sergeant Appo called out.

"This is Jedi business, stand aside." Odette held her ground as she surveyed the clones around Krell. There were more coming up behind him.

"Your treason is at an end, Mandalorian." Krell called out with his arms crossed. He had her cornered.

Odette focused on a clone coming up behind Krell. "I surrender." She spoke calmly before centering herself and focusing on the clone. With a twist she stood behind Krell. In an instant her sabers ignited and she struck out at Krell.

Krell managed to block the surprise attack without a moment to spare. Without waiting for the clones to react, he pressed his attack. The slim girl managed to evade or redirect his attacks, but she was no where near strong enough to take him down. "You will die here."

"Not today." Odette growled as they continued to battle. As they continued their statement, she could see Rex joining the others and explaining what was going on. Soon they were surrounded by clones with their blasters trained on them. "Surrender, it's the only way you're staying alive."

"You lack vision to see the alternative path." Odette frowned as Krell spoke. With a flick of his wrist one of his sabers flew towards the line, cutting down several clones. Krell chuckled as he knocked Odette off balance. He swung at her, aiming to kill.

Odette felt an instinct kick in as she watched Krell move to strike her down. A jolt of lightning left her hand, knocking Krell back. However, his saber still found purchase, cutting into her leg. She let out a gasp as a burning pain shot through her leg.

"Commander!" Odette kept her eyes trained on Krell as he continued to fight the clones in order to escape. "I've got her Rex. You get Krell." Her head swam as the pain made her nauseous. "This'll pinch a bit." Kix spoke as he gave her a shot of bacta. "Commander, you need to lay down and relax so I can treat that wound."

Odette shook her head as she tried to clear her swimming vision. "Just fix me up. I need to get out there."

A firm hand laid her down as another shot of bacta entered her system. "We've got this Commander. Take it easy." Kix reaffirmed to the jedi as he began his treatment. Soon she blacked out from a mixture of the pain, shock, and meds he had given her.

* * *

Odette felt a dull and burning ache from her leg as she woke up. As her mind finally woke up, she pieced together just what had happened. She sat up with a groan as her muscles creaked and popped from laying still after so much activity.

"How're you feeling Commander?" Odette looked over as Kix offered her a cup of water.

She took it gratefully. "Like I got in a fight with a mudhorn." She croaked out before downing the entire cup. "Did we catch Krell?"

"Yep. Tup tricked him and got to blast him in the face with a stun bolt." Kix had a smile on his face as he reported their victory.

Odette chuckled. "Bet a few of the boys wish they got that shot." She stretched out more of her muscle. "Any update on the siege of the capital?"

"General Kenobi captured the capital. The remaining Umbaran forces seem to be making their way here." Kix noticed the worry flash across the Jedi's face. "Captain Rex has already fortified the perimeter. We're ready for them."

Odette felt a smile cross her face, a genuine smile. "Guess I better find out where i can help." She slowly stood up, testing weight on her bandaged leg. It just gave a slight jolt when she put weight on it.

"Commander, it might be best if you stay here." Kix advised the jedi. He didn't expect her to follow his advice, jedi rarely did.

"I'm fine Kix. Besides, I need to check on someone." Odette left the med-bay with a slight limp. She made her way to the tower and found Rex conversing with Fives and Echo. "Is he in a cell?" She asked as she approached them. The three clones looked at her in surprise. "Let's go."

"Odette wait. Are you sure you want to do this?" Rex asked the young jedi.

Odette looked back at the clone. "No, I'm not, but I have to." With a nod from the Captain, he took her into the lift and took her down to face the fallen Jedi. Odette kept most of her weight on her good leg as the lift moved further down past Umbaran prisoners until they reached Krell's cell.

Krell sat as though he was meditating. His arms were in binders behind his back, but it did not make it seem as though he was powerless or under anyone's control. Just that he was restraining himself. "I see you have recovered well enough to spare me a visit." Krell spoke up as he lifted his head from his meditation. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Odette stepped forward and stood before the jedi before sitting in front of him. "I want to know what you saw. What made you turn from the jedi?"

Krell chuckled. "Are you not scared of being thrown out of the order? You were already on thin ice with what happened at the Citadel. After this incident they may never trust you."

After a moment of silence, Odette spoke up. "I don't care. I will do what everything in my power to keep those i care about safe. If that means not being a jedi, then so be it." She held Krell's gaze for a moment before he began to chuckle once more. "If you won't share willingly, then I'll take it by force."

Odette felt a weight settle on her as she locked eyes with Krell, digging into his mind. Neither blinked as Odette searched for what she was after. "I sense...annoyance...tiredness...boredom...you were tired of this endless fighting. You were looking for a solution to end this war." She continued to dig as Krell began to twitch.

"Odette, that's enough." Rex warned as he watched the jedi stare at each other.

Odette ignored the Captain. "I see it, your vision. The Jedi Temple...it's on fire. A figure in black is killing everyone. The Republic is falling to pieces, but something is forming out of the ashes. An...Empire?" She questioned as she delved deeper, seeking more answers.

"Odette!" Rex called out as he watched Krell begin to convulse while holding her gaze. A foam began dripping form his mouth. He reached over to shake Odette out of whatever trance she was in. A jolt of electricity shot through his arm at the contact.

Odette let out a gasp as her body twitched in pain. She coughed as she returned to herself. Her head was still swimming with images and impressions. The one thing that stood out was how inevitable this outcome felt. Like it was bound to happen, destined almost. Odette looked over at Krell, the besalisk wasn't moving.

"Are you alright?" Rex asked as he knelt beside Odette. He helped her to her feet.

"Yeah." Odette looked over at Krell. She could tell through the force that he was dead. "I killed him. All for some stupid vision." She berated herself.

Rex wasn't sure how accurate jedi visions were. Her future sight was certainly accurate. "What did you see?"

"Bits and pieces." Odette admitted. "The republic and jedi in ruin. Some Empire in control with a white army. And numbers, so many numbers."

Rex frowned trying to piece it together. "What does it all mean? Are we going to lose this war?"

Odette shook her head. "I don't know. None of it is making sense. It feels inevitable, but also...preventable. I can't make sense of it." She looked back over at the slumped corpse of her former Master. "But I guess some warning is better than no warning at all." Rex gave her a nod as he took the lift out of the depths of the prison, they were done here.

* * *

Done! That took longer than expected.

I was hoping to get through chapters way faster due to being home more. But i guess i am just getting distracted more since i have more time to work on other things.

This chapter also went through a few iterations. I like where it ended up much better than where it started. It took longer, but i enjoy the end result.

Now i just need to keep going. Which i do have multiple routes it could go, but it'll turn into just one as it shapes itself. I find most stories lead you towards it's end. This isn't the first chapter I've written that came out differently than how i originally planned it.


	20. Evolve

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Within a rotation Odette found herself pacing outside of a room onboard a jedi cruiser. Inside the Jedi council was in session. They had already asked her questions about what happened with Master Krell. It had felt like hours of questioning before they sent her out to discuss things amongst themselves, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Killing Krell hadn't been on her mind when it happened. It was merely a consequence of her actions. She just wanted to see Krell's vision, but he was resisting her. So she had dug deeper against his will. It was a force ability that either jedi or sith could use. The jedi merely influenced thoughts to lead minds towards the information they wanted. The sith forced their way through the mind to find what they were looking for, sometimes breaking the mind that did not cooperate or fought back and in extreme cases caused death.

Odette regretted that she let herself become consumed by her desire to know what Krell had seen, but she was grateful she had been the one to kill him. If any of the clones had killed Krell, they would have been court marshaled. Since she was a jedi, she simply had to deal with the jedi council as the matter was regarded as an internal jedi affair. She only hopped the council would be leave her words and account.

She had even told them the few pieces of Krell's vision she had seen, not that it made sense to anyone. Master Yoda had even told her to forget about it. It drove her master to the dark side. She had already been entangled with it and it may drive her further to it. However, Odette couldn't help but feel like the vision meant something. What that was, she couldn't figure out.

"You look nervous." Odette looked over as Master Skywalker leaned on the wall of the hallway. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts she had not heard him approach. "Relax, they're not that angry with you." Odette simply nodded. "Want to go for a walk?" Anakin asked as he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. The boys had asked him to get Odette as they had something to show her.

Odette looked from Master Skywalker back to the door. "I should wait." She didn't want to keep the council waiting should they call on her again. No reason to make them more disappointed in her. She was pretty sure she was on thin ice with her streak of mishaps.

Anakin knew what the girl was thinking, wanting to please the council. "They'll be in there for a while. Beside, Obi-wan will call if they need you." Anakin reassured Odette as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on." He guided her away from the door before steering them down the halls. "Thank you...for looking out for my men."

Odette looked up at the more experienced warrior. She could see the genuine gratitude in his eyes. "I only did what I thought was best." Odette admitted. "They did most of the work." If she had done more, less of them would have died.

"Don't sell yourself short. All of them are grateful for your help." Anakin had been impressed by how many stories his men were telling that involved Odette in some way or another. A few of them seemed quite unbelievable.

As they entered the mess hall, Odette wasn't too surprised to see clones from all of the battalions intermingling with each other. They were still wrapping up their campaign and setting up a garrison on Umbara. So they were going to be working with each other for a bit longer. She smiled as many of the clones greeted her with a smile and a salute.

"Commander!" Odette looked over as Echo called out to her. He waved her over. "Glad to see you on your feet."

"All healed up. Kix finally got me into a bacta tank." Odette admitted as the medic shook his head at her.

"You're as bad as General Skywalker." Kix chuckled as the General gave him an amused look, knowing he spoke truth.

"Anyway," Fives spoke up getting their attention. "We've got a surprise for you."

Odette frowned as she looked between the group. Waxer set something wrapped in a clothe on the table. Boil pushed it over to her with a grin on his face. Odette looked around the table as they all watched her in excitement. She picked up the object and found the edge of the clothe. Once she got most of it off, it slid off of the object.

Odette's eyes widened as she stared at her helmet. It was polished to perfection, the beskar shining like a mirror around her viewport and he black paint had a fresh coat on it. What caught her eyes the most was what sat above the shiny beskar. In bright Kryze blue was a pair of Jaig Eyes staring back at her. She lightly traced the adornment with her fingers, wondering if it was really there.

"We all agreed, this is the least you deserve for what you've done for us." Odette looked over as Rex spoke up. He had a look of pride on his face. One Odette had seen both her Aunt and her Mother give her on several occasions. It made her believe that maybe she did belong here, among these warriors. "Come on, lets see the whole look."

Odette turned her helmet around to slip it on as her com beeped. She tucked her helmet under her arm as she answered the call. "Kryze here."

"Odette, were are you?" Obi-wan asked through the com.

Odette felt worry and fear creep up as her father's voice spoke over the com. "Master Skywalker had something to show me." Odette responded quickly. "I'm on my way." She hung up before looking at everyone. "I have to go."

"We'll catch up later." Boil assured the young woman.

Odette quickly slipped on her helmet. "Thank you." She gave them all a bow before running back towards the room the council had been meeting in. She slipped her helmet back off as she rounded the corner. She saw her father waiting outside the door. "I'm sorry. I should have stayed-"

"It's alright Odette." Obi-wan placed a calming hand on his daughter's shoulder. He could feel her muscles relax under his grip. Her nervousness reminded him of Anakin in his earlier years. "They're waiting for you." He gestured towards the door the council was meeting in.

Odette looked to the doors with a bit of nervousness. "Should I be worried?"

Obi-wan gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You have nothing to fear." He dropped his hand from her shoulder as he stepped aside to let her enter.

With reassurance from her father, Odette faced the door once more. She thrummed her fingers against her helmet before looking back at her dad. "Um...can you hold this for me?" Obi-wan held out his hand and took the helmet from Odette. With a bit more confidence, she opened the doors to the dimly lit room and entered.

The room was lit by the glow of many empty holo-pads. She noted her father and Master Tiin staying to the edge of the room. As she reached the center, the other members of the council appeared on their holo-screens. "Master Tiin, initiate you will." Yoda spoke from his spot directly in front of Odette. Odette watched as Master Tiin stepped forward to stand beside Master Yoda. "Padawan, step forward." As one every member of the council ignited their sabers.

Odette found herself in a bit of shock as she stepped towards Masters Yoda and Tiin and knelt before them. "By the right of the Council," Master Tiin lowered his blade to hover over her right shoulder. She had a shortened padawan braid due to her starting her training so late in her life, but she had one all the same. "By the will of the Force," Master Yoda spoke and Master Tiin moved his blade to her left shoulder. "Dub thee we do," Master Tiin saber came to rest on her right side beside her stunted braid. With a flick of his wrist, the braid fell to the floor. "Jedi Knight of the Republic."

Odette looked down at the braid for a moment before standing up straight. "These are unprecedented times. Were this a time of peace, or we weren't so scattered, we would have performed this ceremony at the Temple, but these are not such times." Master Windu spoke as he took his hood down from his head.

"An assignment we have for you, Knight Kryze." Odette looked back to Master Yoda as he spoke. "Familiar you are with the group known as Death Watch."

"Yes. My Aunt is a member." Odette admitted as she tried to figure out what the council was getting at.

"Chancellor Palpatine wants to help facilitate peace between Mandalore and Death Watch. To prevent this from becoming another Mandalorian War." Master Windu spoke up.

"So you want me to play mediator?" Odette asked while looking at the council. "No offense Masters, but this isn't going to work. It's never worked in the past."

"Mandalore has never had a leader like Duchess Satine." Odette looked over as her father spoke up. "If you were to find common ground within the Kryze clan, certainly the rest of Death Watch can be reasoned as well."

Odette looked down at the helmet her father was holding. She then looked back at Master Yoda. "I will do my best to find a solution."

Yoda nodded, sensing Odette's sincerity. "May the force be with you." With that said, the holos turned off and the lights turned on.

Odette let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. "Well done." Obi-wan told her as he offered her helmet back. He wasn't at all surprised when she embraced him. When he saw that they were alone, he indulged himself and returned the gesture. "I'm proud of you, Odette."

Odette smiled as she heard her dad speak. "Thank you. I still can't believe I'm a knight." Odette said as she pulled back from hugging her dad. She took her helmet from him and traced the jaig eyes with her fingers. "But I'm not that optimistic about my mission. Aunt Bo is just as stubborn as my mother."

"Well if anyone can find a solution, it's you." Obi-wan was certain his daughter could do it. "You should go prepare your troops." Odette looked at him in puzzlement. "With Master Krell no longer able to command his troops, the council agreed command would fall to you, General Kryze."

Odette was dumbstruck. "Why didn't they tell me when we were in the meeting?"

Obi-wan shrugged. "I was suppose to tell you before you went in, but we didn't have time." Odette nodded, realizing the problems that came from her not listening to orders. "How do you plan to get in touch with your Aunt? Death Watch has been impossible to track." If she could contact her, surely they could then track the group.

"She always answers my calls." Odette told her dad as she tucked her helmet under her arm. "In return, I never ask where she is or make the signal traceable. It's our unspoken agreement." She knew no one would want to do such, but it wasn't their call to make. This was her mission and she was going to do it her way.

"Then I suppose now might be the best time to try and contact her." Obi-wan spoke up. "The Chancellor sanctioned peace talks between the Republic and Separatists. The meeting is taking place on Mandalore." He had hoped to have been assigned as head of security, but Umbara had taken too long.

"Was that where Ahsoka went?" Odette asked curiously. "And here I thought we got the fun job." They both chuckled a bit. "It'll be nice to talk to her. I haven't spoken to her since before I left Mandalore, long before I left Mandalore. And mom...I..."

Obi-wan placed a hand on Odette's shoulder. "I know." He could feel the longing and sadness flowing off of the young woman beside him. She had grown so much since he first met her. He had felt how strong she was with the force, and how familiar she felt. He wasn't too surprised when Satine told him Odette was his daughter. Part of him wishes he had stayed with Satine, but the Force called him back to the Jedi and away from their possible future together.

Odette took a deep breath in and squared her shoulders. "Well, there's nothing to accomplish by standing around. I've got work to do. It'll take some time for me to get a signal out to Aunt Bo." With her mind made up, she headed for the hanger. She needed to set things in order with her battalion. Then she could try and reach out to her aunt.

* * *

By the end of the week Odette had her battalion reorganized and working better than it ever had before. They were still a very formal battalion when on duty, but now they knew how to be off duty. At least for the most part. It was still taking some getting used to, but the shinies were helping. Odette also thought the new color was a nice touch. Gave the men something to do when they were bored.

"All outposts are reporting in an all clear." Odette looked over as Commander Jet spoke up. She had chosen him as her second in command due to him being one of the few remaining clones that remembered Plinko. "Everything's set, General."

"Thank you Commander." Odette looked back at the holo-map of Umbara. They were the last battalion to be pulling out. The others had already been reassigned to other battles. "Looks like we're finally leaving this planet. Any word?" She looked to the Admiral of her fleet, Admiral Polar.

Kline Polar zoomed the map back out the look at the current positions of the Republic forces. "No new orders yet, but I suspect that will change shortly. The Separatists are playing strategically well. No doubt we'll be called to support someone somewhere."

Odette nodded as she looked around. There were many battles going on across the galaxy. No one could know which they would be called to.

"General Kryze, we're receiving a signal on an encrypted frequency." Odette looked over as the technician worked at his station. "I'm getting...Bow Tie Party?"

Odette let out a soft laugh. "Clear the room." She told everyone as she went over to the technician's station. She set the dials and turned off the tracking and recording features. Once she got the doors locked and cameras turned off, she put her helmet on and answered the call.

"I was wondering when you would try to call." Odette turned and faced her aunt. "The armor looks good on you. I'm glad it fits, but I wish you would wear more of it. What if someone got a hit on your hip?"

"I missed you too Aunt Bo." Odette interrupted her aunt's nagging. It was one of the many ways her aunt showed she cared for her.

Bo let out a sigh as she brought her gaze up to Odette's helmet. She paused for a minute. "Are those Jaig Eyes? When did you get those? Who gave them to you?" She began examining the helmet curiously.

"The men did. They were trained in the ways of Mandalore and picked up many of our customs." Odette explained as she felt self conscious of her aunt's examination. "One of them also has Jaig Eyes. I don't really compare to him though. He definitely deserves them more than me-" She stopped as her aunt held up a hand.

"If they felt you should have them, then they're yours." Bo looked at her niece one more time before removing her helmet. "So, why did you call? I know it's not to catch up. There isn't time for such things nowadays."

"No there isn't." Odette admitted as she removed her helmet. "The Jedi council granted me the rank of Jedi Knight, and they gave me a mission. They want to find a way to reach peace between Death Watch and Duchess Satine."

Bo sighed. "Odette. You know-"

"I know it's not going to happen." Odette interrupted her aunt. "At least not between Pre Vizla and my mother."

"Odette, he's the leader of Death Watch." Bo didn't enjoy going against her sister, but this was a cause she believed in. Just as her sister believed in her own cause. "You can't change either Vizla or Satine. They are who they are."

Odette paused as she thought of a possibility. "What if they weren't the thing that needed to change?" She looked to her aunt as she followed her thought through her head. "If Pre Vizla or my mother weren't the leaders, then perhaps an agreement could be made."

Bo watched her niece with a bit of worry and suspicion. "Odette, you're talking about overthrowing leadership. Doing that to a group like Death Watch is dangerous. It could make it more dangerous for you, your mother, or even Mandalore."

"What about changing Mandalore then? If my mom wasn't in charge anymore-" Odette stopped herself as her brain caught up with her words and trail of thought. She paused as the room became silent. "I didn't..." The words died on her lips.

Bo watched as her niece became quiet, realizing what her mind had just suggested to itself. "War isn't an easy thing. It changes people-"

"Aunt Bo-" Odette spoke up, trying to explain herself.

"-sometimes without us realizing it." Bo kept speaking over her niece. Even she hadn't thought of overthrowing her own sister. It wasn't her responsibility. She wasn't the leader of Death Watch. "We'll talk soon." With that the transmission ended, leaving Odette alone with her thoughts.

She leaned against the holo-table as she took her helmet out from under arm and looked at the front of it. The beskar was polished and the Kryze blue accents stood out proudly. Her armor was history of what her people-her heritage-had gone through. A history her mother didn't want to repeat and a history Death Watch was trying to protect and uphold. Odette didn't know which side she was on.

She unlocked the door and tucked her helmet under her arm as the doors opened and everyone reinterred the room. "So, what was that about?" Jet asked the General curiously.

"Jedi matters." Odette offered as an excuse. "And I've got one more call to make, but I'll do that in my cabin. Call me once we get our orders." She left the bridge, heading to her private quarters.

Odette was quiet as she walked through the halls. Many of the men walked around without their helmets on, talking openly with each other. A pale, bright blue broke apart the monotony of black of white that filled the hall. This battalion felt so different now, it felt alive. Odette smiled liking how different it was to the first time she had entered meet Krell's troops, her troops now.

As she entered her room she set her helmet down and turned on the holo-terminal. She typed in her mother's personal number and waited as it rang. It took a moment before the call connected, bringing Odette face to face with her mother. "Odette, is everything alright?" Satine asked as she looked her daughter over.

"I'm fine mother. Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to talk." Odette hugged herself as she remembered her conversation with her Aunt Bo. "It's been a while."

Satine smiled softly as she looked at her daughter, she looked older. "Indeed." She reached out and passed her hand through Odette's hair. "You always did threaten to cut it short. It suits you." Odette gave her mother a smile at the compliment. "Now, what did you want to talk about? Do you need help with something? I'm not sure what help i can be in my position."

"Your position doesn't actually hinder this." Odette spoke as she shifted her weight from one leg to another. "The Jedi council asked me to try and find common ground between you and Death Watch to avoid another Mandalorian War." She held her breath as she waited for her mother to tell her it was impossible.

Odette was surprised when her mother let out a tired sigh. "I've been trying to do the same." Satine admitted to her daughter. "I'm been in contact with Pre Vizla, but he's refusing all negotiations. He doesn't want a peace between our sides. He wants there to be only his side."

"Then maybe Pre Vizla shouldn't be the one to talk to." Odette offered.

Satine shook her head. "There is no one else to talk to. Pre Vizla is the Leader of Death Watch. As long as they believe he is the strongest among them, then it will remain that way." Satine could see the gears in her daughter's head turning. "Bo won't challenge him to single combat. She believes in his cause."

"Than what if I did it?" Odette threw the idea out there.

"Even if you found Death Watch, they would never let you get close enough to challenge him to single combat. Let alone even allow it. They would kill you before you ever got the chance." Satine argued, talking her daughter out of this reckless plan. She supposed she had succeeded when Odette's shoulders sagged a bit. "I know you want to help, but some things can't be helped." She reach out and held her hand to her daughter's face, wishing she could actually hold her. "I'm so proud of you."

Odette chuckled a bit as she brought her gaze up to look at her mother. "I've been getting that a lot lately." A moment of silence passed between them, neither knowing what to say next. Odette's wrist com beeped to life, ending their stalemate. "I should go. I'm a General now."

"Well, at least I know there is at least one sensible Jedi leading the war." Satine joked with her daughter. "Stay safe."

Odette gave her mother a smile. "I will. I love you."

"I love you too." Satine responded gently before ending their transmission.

Odette let out a breath before answering her com. "Kryze." She spoke into the com.

"General, we have our orders." Jet spoke through the com. "We're preparing for our jump to hyperspace."

"About time." Odette walked over to her bed and picked up her helmet. "I'm on my way." She paused as she reached her door. She looked back down at the Jaig Eyes on her helmet. She would find a way to unit her people, she had to. She slid her helmet over her head before leaving her room to return to the bridge, ready for war.

* * *

My chapters seem to be going through a few changes as I'm writing them. Part of me is wondering if watching season 7 has anything to do with it. I've come up with at least three different paths i could take this story. A few would be from an 'in the moment' event and others would be natural, but i don't just want to follow canon. I find that predictable and boring. Sure it makes it easy to write things, but this is more fun. Especially since y'all have no idea where I'm taking this.

Anyway, let me know what you thought of the chapter.

Is anyone watching Season 7? Episode 10 is the lastest out at the time of writing this little blurb.


	21. Abide

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette stretched as they continued to load the gunships. They had been sent out to help quell a small incursion of droids trying to retake Jedda. It had been simple to take care of. "How's it going Jet?" Odette asked the clone commander beside her.

Jet looked through his list. "We're on schedule. Should be ready to leave in a few hours."

"It'll be nice to get some down time." Odette didn't doubt that they would be getting put onto the leave rotation. Krell had denied it every time it had come up. She wouldn't be denying her battalion the chance to get away from all this chaos.

She was distracted as her com beeped. "Kryze here." It was probably Admiral Polar.

"General, you have an urgent transmission from the Jedi Temple." Odette frowned wondering what they were contacting her about. "It might be best if you take it here on the ship. I'll reroute it to your quarters."

"I can take it in the command center." Odette didn't feel the need to hide jedi business from Admiral Polar or Commander Jet. It would probably be something she would have to share with them anyway.

"General, you'll want to take this in private." Odette frowned more as Polar closed the link.

"Sounds serious." Jet spoke as he watched his General. She was being oddly calm and quiet. "You should go."

Odette nodded quietly before making her way towards a loaded gunship. The ship took off and flew up to the cruiser. Once it landed she excused herself to her quarters. Once she set her helmet down she answered the transmission. Ahsoka appeared before her. "Ahsoka? What's going-" Odette stopped as she caught sight of the Togruta's face. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying. "Ahsoka?"

"Odette, it's Master Kenobi." Ahsoka started slowly as she worked to keep her voice from faltering. "He...he's gone."

Odette blinked, not understanding. "Gone? Ahsoka what do you mean?"

Ahsoka sniffled loudly. "We were heading back to the temple for an emergency meeting when a sniper attacked us. We chased after him, but lost sight of him. He...he shot Master Kenobi. He didn't make it."

Odette felt as though the air in her lungs had simply vanished. Everything became cold as the words sunk in. She slowly leaned back and sat on her bed, processing. Her father was dead.

"The council is calling you back to the capital for the funeral." Ahsoka spoke quietly. "They've also extended an invitation to your mother."

"We'll be there once we've finished packing up." Odette replied, falling back on habits from Master Krell. She thought to say something more, but the words died on her lips.

Ahsoka nodded, knowing how difficult this was for her friend. She had seen the same difficulty in her Master. "I'm here for you, Odette." With no response from her friend, she ended the transmission. The room darkened a bit as the holo vanished, leaving Odette alone in her room.

She knew she should return and help her men, but she couldn't bring herself to stand up. She couldn't even blink without the threat of tears pouring down her face. She coudln't remember the last time she cried. She had never felt sorrow like this before.

Odette took a deep shuddering breath, trying to get her emotions under control. ' **Do you need to control them?** '

"Go away." Odette growled to the voice inside her mind. "I don't want to deal with you right now."

' **Very well, but one more thought from me. If you were so close, why did you not feel him join the force.** ' Odette frowned as the Son's presence retreated to the back of her mind. She really needed to figure out how to banish him permanently. He was an annoyance.

Odette pushed herself to her feet and headed for the refresher. Once inside she checked herself and made herself appear normal. This wasn't something her men needed to know about. She wouldn't hide it from them if they asked, but she wasn't going to break down in front of them. The last thing they needed was a sobbing girl in command of the battalion.

With her outward appearance set, she left her room and returned to work. She found Commander Jet directing supplies inside the hanger. "Everything off the ground?" She was surprised to see him up here.

"Just a couple of walkers and the last of our men." Jet informed her as he looked over at her. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. We're heading to Coruscant." She told him as she looked around. Everything seemed normal, just like how it had been an hour ago when she thought her father was alive and well. It was strange how different things felt with this one change in her life.

Jet nodded, noting Odette's distant mind. "So, what did the jedi want? Or is that a secret?" There were a few times the General had ordered everyone out of the room to take transmissions. Most had strange names with them, but a few were from the Jedi Council. Every time she had given them the bare minimum of details that they needed to know.

Odette bit her lip, wondering if it would be alright to talk to Jet about what was going on. Surely he would find out soon enough. The clones gossiped between battalions. Cody would certainly already know about his General's passing. "It's actually why we're returning to the capital. General Kenobi was killed and I'm going to his funeral." She found her lips begin to quiver as she spoke. She began taking deep breaths, wishing she had not forgotten her helmet in her room.

Jet was shocked as Odette spoke. He knew from some of the clones in the 501st and 212th that General Kenobi was General Kryze's father. It surprised him that she was only becoming this upset, but also that she was holding back. "Are you alright?" He waved off a few of the men who had noticed their General becoming distressed. The last thing he needed was the men causing a fuss around her. She didn't like it when the men worried about her so openly.

"I'm fine...I think-I don't know." Odette admitted as she leaned against a nearby crate. "I don't know Jet. I've never-" Her breath hitched on her as she fought back the tears. "-never lost someone like this." She sniffled as her breathing became interspersed with hiccups.

Jet set his datapad down and leaned on the box beside the jedi. "It's hard to lose family." He simply sat beside Odette as she continued to breath and hiccup. Despite how mature she acted and appeared at times, she was still very young. They sat like that for a few minutes, just comforting each other in silence.

Their silence was interrupted when Commander Jet's com went off. "What is it Admiral?"

"We're ready to depart for Coruscant. Unless General Kryze has informed you otherwise." Jet looked over at Odette. She had stopped hiccuping, but was still staring at the ground with an unfocused gaze.

"No change, set course and take us into hyperspace." Jet gave the order.

They continued to just sit in silence as the men milled about. A few watched them, worry evident in their uncovered faces. Jet kept them in mind as he focused mostly on the jedi beside him. She was shorter than all of them, an indication of her age, but right now she reminded him of his brothers whenever they lost men in a fight. He had lost so many brothers in this war, both to blasters and their own minds. In a way, he understood how she was feeling, but at the same time he didn't. He had many more brothers to lean on, but she didn't have another father to lean on. He didn't even think she could if she had one because of her position as a jedi.

Odette took a deep breath as she finally gathered her emotions. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you with this." She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. "I shouldn't have broken down. Jedi aren't suppose to do this."

"You're human first aren't you?" Odette looked over as Jet spoke up. "It's natural to cry during a situation like this." Jet took his helmet off and set it down on the crate beside him. "Odette, there's nothing wrong with feeling upset about a loss like this. He was your father. You don't need to apologize for something like this to us."

Odette frowned as Jet tilted his head out towards the hanger. As Odette looked over, she noted a few other clones watching them. She could sense through the force that they only wanted to comfort and help her. It brought a smile to her face. "Thank you, Jet."

She pushed herself off of the crate and stretched. "Now that I've settled down, time to do something productive with my emotions. I need to vent and I think the simulator will do the trick."

Jet chuckled. "You going to try and beat your own top marks?"

Odette gave the commander a grin. "Why? Still trying to beat my current one?"

"I was wondering when you were going to make it more challenging." Jet countered. "You've been off the shooting board since yesterday. The boys were thinking we raised the bar too much."

Odette chuckled as she looked around, most of the men were back to work. "Maybe we need a new challenge. How about an exercise? I start in the simulation room and try to get to the bridge, while you and the men try and stop me. We can run it as an exercise in case Dooku or Ventress try to take command of the ship."

"The entire crew against you? You think you can do it?" Jet wasn't sure it was fair to the jedi.

Odette shrugged. "It'll a challenge. Just make sure your blasters are set to stun. I can set my sabers to stun as well and I won't do any force pushing, but if I pick you up, then you're out. I'll also have my blasters set to stun."

Jet could tell Odette was serious. "Alright. I'll let the boys know. Where do you want us to start? Since we know you'll be starting in the simulation room, if we start there as well we'll just over whelm you."

"Or I'll just pick you all up and get you all out at once." Odette countered. "It'll make it easy for me." She left the hanger and headed for her room. If she was going to do this, she was going to have her helmet. She'd leave her armor as is, since it would easier to move around.

This would be a good distraction for her. Something to focus on other than her father's funeral.

Odette shook her head to rid herself of those thought. Sure it laid ahead, but she could focus on it then. Right now she had a game to win.

* * *

Odette observed a holo-map of current battles in the outer rim as she waited for Commander Jet to reach the bridge. The doors opened and Jet walked in with his helmet under his arms. "Took you long enough." Odette teased the clone with a smirk.

"Well, it's a long walk from the simulation room to here." Jet answered. "Even taking the direct route."

Odette shrugged. "You were the one who put that rule in place and it's not my fault no one thought to check the vents or maintenance hallways."

"We'll remember that for next time." Jet chuckled. He was glad she was back to somewhat normal spirits. No doubt her mood would drop again once they arrived on Coruscant.

The hum of Hyperspace cut out as the cruiser entered the upper orbit of Coruscant. "We've arrived." Admiral Polar announced as he arrived at the holo-table. "A shuttle is waiting to escort you to the jedi temple. I've already coordinated our resupply and maintenance. We should be in orbit for at least two rotations."

"Thank you, Admiral." Odette was grateful for the man's initiative. "Jet, let the boys know they've got some down time. I'll...see you when I get back."

"Take your time." Jet hoped she would take some time to grieve. There was only so much anyone could hold onto before it overwhelmed them.

Odette nodded before she picked her helmet off of the holo-table and headed for the hanger. She passed by many of the men and told them to try harder next time. She tried to keep her spirits high, knowing they were about to come crashing down. As she entered the hanger she slipped her helmet on, hoping to mask her face and gather her emotions before she reached the temple.

The shuttle ride felt too long and not long enough. Odette had managed to school herself enough to feeling comfortable showing her face as she entered the temple.

Her first stop was her room. She removed all pieces of her armor in respect to her father and the jedi ways. For this moment she would not be Mandalorian. In this moment alone she would be a Kenobi.

Odette donned her jedi robe and pulled her hood up as she made her way towards the funeral room. She could feel the sadness wafting through the air, like a smoke. She found she was not the first one present. Mast Skywalker and Ahsoka were already standing over the body. Odette stood at the foot of the alter and looked down at the unmoving form hidden under a sheet, her father.

She found herself transfixed and numb as she simply existed in this room. As more people entered the chamber, Odette found herself feeling unsettled. While sadness coated the room, it felt like a veil. Blocking her from something, but from what?

A hand brought her out of her thoughts. She looked over and wasn't too surprised to see her mother standing beside her. She could see the grief evident on her mother's face, Obi-wan's death pained her. Odette hugged her mother, not caring for what the council thought. Her mother needed her comfort more than she needed their approval.

Odette focused on her mother as the ceremony proceeded. It was only once the body descended and the beam of light shone out that she loosened her grip. Her mother didn't say any words as she pressed a kiss to her brow. Odette gave her mother a comforting smile before Padme pulled her away to leave. Odette watched as her mother left, hoping she would be alright.

As more people began to leave the hall, Odette felt the veil slip a bit. A wave of anger and worry washed over her. She could easily guess where the anger came from, Master Skywalker seemed to be in a dark mood. It was the worry that caught her attention, it was as prevalent as the sadness had been moments before.

"Something troubles you, Knight Kryze." Odette looked over as Master Yoda spoke.

Odette looked around, noting some other council members leaving slowly. She looked to Master Yoda. "No, Master Yoda. Just my own thoughts. It is difficult to let my father go, but I guess I don't have a choice now. He's gone."

Yoda nodded slowly as he watched her. "Difficult the path of a jedi is. Regret it do you?"

"No." Odette answered easily. "The same as now, there was no other choice. So I must accept it and move on. Even if I do not wish to or I find it hard." Yoda simply nodded before he too walked away.

Odette watched as the room emptied and she was left alone. She looked down at the chamber her father's body had descended into. She knelt down and placed a hand on the cooling metal. The incinerator only heat's the door a little, bit the warmth is still noticeable. Despite how hard she tried, she could call forth no sadness now.

' **What a curious ceremony.** ' Odette rolled her eyes as the Son spoke up. ' **You feel conflicted at feeling nothing. Isn't that what a jedi strives for, to put their feeling aside?** '

"Something's not right." Odette whispered under her breath in answer to the Son. She got up from her crouch and left the room, heading for her room. She needed to meditate, and she wasn't sure what it would lead to.

She arrived at her room and locked the door. She threw her robe aside and sat in front of her helmet stand. Odette settled into a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She took deep breaths as she opened herself to the force, searching.

' **What do you seek?** ' The Son asked, guiding her search.

"My father." Odette answered as she brought up feelings and memories of her father. The smirk he wore whenever he proved a point. His humor when answering questions or arguments. The smile he wore when he said he was proud of her.

' **He's gone.** ' Images of the funeral flashed through her mind. Ahsoka's sadness and Anakin's anger wrapped around her. ' **He's gone.** '

"No!" Odette growled back.

She recalled the veil of sadness at the funeral. The worry it was hiding. ' **Who was worried? What were they worried about?** ' Odette followed the questions, pressing further into the force.

She recalled her conversation with Yoda, he was worried. The council members lingering were also worried. What could they be so worried about? Weren't they suppose to let the force guide them? What were they hiding?

A knock at her door interrupted her. Odette got up and walked over to the door. She was surprised to see Master Plo standing at her door. "Master Plo, can I help you?"

"May I come in? There is something I need to discuss with you." After a pause, Odette stepped aside to allow the Jedi Master in. "I am sorry for your loss. I know, despite how little time you knew each other, you were close with your father. A bond the council usually does not allow. Though it seemed to help anchor you to the light."

"Does the council fear I will fall to the dark side now that he is gone?" Odette watched the jedi carefully. She wasn't sure what the council was planning, but they were certainly planning something.

"Indeed." Odette watched as Master Plo produced a holo-com. "Which is why I am showing you this."

Odette watched as a holo began playing, it was her father. "Odette, I apologize that this is how you have to find out, but this is how it must be for my mission to be successful." She frowned as she continued to watch the recording. "By now I have probably already been declared dead and my funeral performed. It is necessary for anyone outside of the jedi council to believe I am dead, to ensure I am not discovered. Odette, I'm sorry I had to deceive you in this, but this was the only way. Please be careful."

Odette took a moment to think as Master Plo watched her. "You must understand, if anyone finds out, he will die and so might the Chancellor." She looked over at the Jedi as he spoke. "May the force be with you." With his peace said, he left the room.

Odette walked back over and took a seat in front of her helmet. She stared into the jaig eyes, thinking through what she had learned.

"You were right." She spoke as she reached into her mind and addressed the Son. "It was all a lie."

' **Do you hate him?** ' The Son asked hesitantly.

"No." Odette answered honestly. "I hate that he was put in this position. I hate that he had to deceive me, Anakin, and Ahsoka like this, but i don't hate my father. Look what hating your Father did to you. You're stuck in my mind."

' **All the same, I am alive and He is not.** ' Silence filled the air between them. ' **What will you do now?** '

Odette lifted the helmet with the force and pulled it to her, holding it between her hands as it spun in the air. "Nothing. As they said, any action could mean his death. He is a capable jedi and will be fine. Anakin has Ashoka to look out for him, so they don't need me. Perhaps it is time I fully tested what I am capable of."

* * *

So I got a bit inspired by episode 11 of Clone Wars season 7 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Did it show?

And I think I might have picked which way I want this to go. Really I'm basing this off if I want to write through Rebels, which part of me really wants to. It would be kind of more fun than just stopping order 66 and giving this story a happy ending.


	22. Close

I do not own Star Wars The Clone Wars.

* * *

Odette could sense eyes on her as she trained on her own. She knew many were simply watching her with worry. With just about everyone still believing her father to be dead, Odette understood their sympathetic gazes. Then there were the few watching her to ensure she gave nothing away about Obi-wan's secret mission. It was one of the reasons Odette had been keeping to herself.

It was hard to believe it had only been yesterday that they had held her father's funeral. Odette found today to be no different than any other day at the temple. Younglings going about their lessons, Padawans training with their masters, and an overall serene feeling about the temple. Odette could feel it all as she meditated in the middle of a training room, all of the equipment floating around her in rings.

Odette could sense someone coming towards her. This one was intent on speaking with her. Unlike a few Padawans and Younglings who were simply in awe at her power. She opened her eyes and smiled as her friend entered the room. "Ahsoka. It's good to see you." She lightly stepped back onto the ground before putting everything back in it's place.

"Good to see you too." Ahsoka was impressed as her friend put everything back. "I see you're being productive. How are you feeling?"

Odette could sense the worry on her friend. "I'm alright. How is Master Skywalker?"

"Anakin...is..." Ahsoka let out a sigh as her shoulders slump. "Not as well as you. He's taking this hard. Even capturing that slimy assassin didn't improve his mood."

Odette perked up a bit. "You caught the assassin?"

"Yeah. Kind of sloppy. He got drunk and was loudly bragging about killing Master Kenobi in a bar." Ahsoka shook her head, wondering how people old be like that. "At least now he's in prison." Odette simply nodded as her friend spoke. "So, how long have you been able to do that?" Ahsoka waved her hand about the room, referring to when things were floating around the room.

"Uh..." Odette scratched her head nervously. "I've always had the potential to do it, but I just never tried."

Ahsoka frowned as she watched the girl beside her. "Right. So, what made you decide to try?"

"I just thought I had nothing better to do. Better than just being inside my own head right now." Odette hoped Ahsoka would just leave it at that.

Ahsoka nodded. Odette was acting a bit strange, but it might just be the grief at loosing her father. Though, the girl didn't seem too upset. "Maybe you could talk to Anakin? I'm sure he would appreciate someone to talk to."

"I don't know." Odette didn't want to risk letting it slip that Obi-wan wasn't actually dead. "While Master Kenobi may have been my father by blood, Anakin's known him longer. I don't think I'm the right person for him to talk to." She became distracted as Master Plo entered the room. "Master Plo, may I help you?"

"Koh-to-ya, Master Plo." Ahsoka greeted the Kel Dorian Jedi.

"Koh-to-ya, little Soka." Plo looked between the two for a brief moment. "I was actually hoping to speak with Ahsoka. Master Yoda would like a word with you in the meditation tower." He directed his last statement towards the Mandalorian.

Odette nodded as she stepped away from the two and headed for the tower. Master Yoda and many members of the council tended to favor the tower for meditation. She supposed it was because it was reserved for council members only, but others could still enter if they had a reason.

Everything was quiet as she rode the elevator to the top. Today would be her last day at the temple for certain. Polar had the ship back to full function and fully stocked. So they were ready to ship out whenever they received word. Odette wondered if perhaps that was what Master Yoda wished to discuss, but why meet in the tower?

The doors slid open and Odette entered the dimly lit room. She sat on a seat across from the Grand Master as he meditated. It had been so long since she had been in this room. Back when she was a simple Mandalorian. Before she knew just how connected she was to the jedi.

"Darkness stains you." Odette's gaze snapped to the Grand Master as he spoke. "Powerful it makes you."

"Master Yoda-" Odette stopped as the Jedi Master lifted his hand.

"Control it now, you might, but unnecessary it is. Tempt you it will." Yoda had been sensing the dark side coming from Odette for a long while now. It was stronger than before. He wasn't sure what had strengthened it. Was it Master Krell's doing, or was it just her nature.

Odette paused for a moment as she thought. Would Master Yoda believe her if she told him she had a being of the dark side trapped within her mind? It sounded crazy just thinking about it.

' **Perhaps you are mad.** ' Odette frowned as the Son responded. ' **He is blinded to me. The dark side blinds them all.** ' She froze as she felt the Son pull himself further out of the depths of her mind. ' **Shall I show you how blind he is?** ' She gripped her head as pain spread across her scalp.

Yoda frowned as the young woman seemed to double over in pain. What was happening? He reached out to comfort her through the force when he felt it. A strong dark presence wrapped itself around the girl. "Who are you?" The Grand Master asked as he continued to press through the darkness.

' **Well, won't you answer him?** ' The Son asked in a cackle.

Odette growled as she pulled the force into herself, forcing the son back into the recesses of her mind. The air was quiet as Odette gulped down air. The Son hadn't tried to take control for a while now. So why now?

' **This is a dark place. I like it here.** ' Odette shoved the Son back, silencing him for now.

Yoda watched quietly as Odette gathered herself. He could not since the dark presence that had once suffocated her own. Faint traces here and there, but nothing to the degree he had just felt. He waited patiently as the Knight gathered herself.

Odette looked at the Grand Master, grateful that he was not pressing questions. "He calls himself 'Son'. We encountered him on Mortis. Along with Daughter and Father."

"Know of this, I do. A report, Master Kenobi wrote." Yoda hadn't been too sure about what it was they had experienced. It was no vision, yet it was as though time had not progressed. "How then, is he within you?"

"I'm not completely sure." Odette admitted.

Master thought for a moment before answering. "Keeping him contained since then have you?"

"I didn't know he was there until the mission to the Citadel." Odette now knew she had been using his powers before then. "That was the first time he tried to take over."

"Tried many times has he?" Yoda found it curious how a being like Son were being contained within a force user. Was his power limited then?

"A few. He hasn't in a while." She watched as Master Yoda nodded.

"Explain your broken crystals it does." Odette tilted her head curiously as he spoke. "Turned to the dark side, crystals can, but shatter they will not. Bleed they will, but healed they can be. The Sons power was too much and broke they did."

"My new ones have survived." Odette took her sabers and set them in her lap. "I got these as well on Mortis. Another being gave them to me."

"Like the Son was he?" Yoda was curious as to why she had not shared this information before.

Odette shook her head. "No. He wasn't like any of them. He wasn't interested in taking sides, or even having a side. He called himself the one in the middle, the Bendu. He wasn't even really in the same world. He was somewhere else. It was hot and dust covered, and had these spider like creatures."

Yoda hummed as he thought. "In the middle, balanced between the light and the dark. Like the ancient Je'daii he sounds. A practitioner of both the light and the dark."

"Is it possible to use both the light and the dark?" Odette felt like it was, but then why did the jedi only use the light? Weren't they suppose to uphold balance in the force?

"Corrupting, the dark side is. Never satisfied you will be should you use it. Crave more power you will." Yoda told the girl firmly. "If you continue down this path, a Sith you will become. Seen it before I have." Odette was certain she could hear regret and pain in his voice. "Seek a way to expel him, you must."

"Where do I begin? There's nothing in the archives." Odette left out that Madam Jocasta was of no help at all.

"Meditate. Find an answer you will." Yoda advised the young knight.

Odette nodded before getting up from her seat, sensing their talk was over. When Master Yoda did not stop her, she took that as permission to leave. She was quiet on the entire way back to her room. She wasn't sure what Master Yoda would do now that he knew about Son. What would the council do once they knew?

She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. It didn't do any good to think about 'what if's. Odette went straight to her room and tried to meditate. Despite her best efforts, she was getting nowhere. Just stuck thinking on what if she did turn to the dark side? What was she capable of doing with Son's powers?

' **How about we try this my way?** ' Odette frowned as Son spoke up. ' **You want guidance. Allow me to share an alternative approach.** ' Odette remained silent, letting Son speak. ' **There is a group of dark side witches, the Nightsisters, they might be able to help, but do you truly wish to be rid of me. You would lose all my powers.** '

"And get you out of my head." Odette countered. She got up from her meditative pose and collected her armor pieces. She donned her usual limited pieces before picking up her helmet. The rest of her armor she kept in a chest under her meditation table.

She turned on her com and sent a called to Jet. "Ready to go?" Jet answered.

"Yeah, but you might not like where we're going." Odette wasn't too sure if she was allowed to bring her men to Dathomir, but they could certainly stand guard. Dathomir put them in a good position to reach just about any war front.

* * *

Dathomir was not what Odette was expecting. Sure it was red just as the archives said it would be, but it gave off a cold just looking at it. She was wondering if this was the right choice.

"You sure you want to go down there?" Jet asked his General. It had taken a lot of negotiating for them to even be allowed this close to the planet. With their neutral statues, only General Kryze would be able to go to the planet surface. They couldn't even accompany her as escorts.

"We're already here." Odette knew she didn't sound convincing. "Might as well give it a try." Commander Jet looked worried as she met his gaze. "I'll be fine."

"General." Odette looked over as an officer addressed her. "We're receiving a transmission from the planet."

Odette and Jet followed the officer to the main holo-table. He punched in a code and a bald woman appeared on the table. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a Republic cruiser and a Jedi?"

Odette knew who this woman was. "I am merely seeking answers. There's something I would like to ask of the Nightsisters." She briefly wondered what Ventress' connection to the Nightsisters was, other than her dark side abilities.

Ventress observed the jedi for a moment before looking towards the clones. "Come alone. You may bring your weapons, they do not frighten us." The transmission ended, deciding Odette's next step.

"I thought Dooku's assassin was dead." Jet admitted. He had been surprised to see the bald woman.

Odette slipped her helmet on over her head. "I guess some people are just hard to kill." Odette headed for the hanger, meaning to take her jedi fighter to the surface. "I'm not sure how long I will be, but call if you need me or something comes up." She climbed up into her fighter as an R7 unit climbed into it's slot.

"You got it general." Jet stood back as Odette powered up her ship and flew out of the hanger.

Odette got a lock on Ventress' location and flew in that direction. "So, R7, is this your first mission? We just picked you up on our resent resupply." The mech beeped as it aided her calculate her entry trajectory. "Well, don't worry too much about this one. Nothing here to shoot at us...I hope."

Odette landed in a clearing of sorts. There weren't so much trees, just large vines twisting together. Odette climbed out of the cockpit and down her fighter's wing to the ground. R7 beeped worriedly. "It's okay R7. Stay with the ship." She ordered the droid before walking down what looked like a path.

The further she walked the more the planet pulled her along. She felt a connection to it. "A Mandalorian." Odette spun around and found herself facing Ventress. "I didn't think your people liked jedi."

Odette removed her helmet. "Some of them don't, but we're still individuals. Thank you for allowing me to come."

Ventress eyed the young jedi for a moment before walking past her. "Mother would like to here your request." Odette followed the former sith with her helmet tucked under her arm.

They reached the entrance to a cave and continued inside. Odette spotted other Nightsisters dressed in red guarding the door from various places. They watched her as she followed their sister inside. They went down a set of stairs and came to an expansive cavern, glowing green rivers providing some light with blazing fires setting the rest of it alight.

They continued on until they reached what looked like an alter. Another woman in red robes stood there. Her cloak floated about as though a wind blew through the still cave. "Mother, I have brought her." Ventress spoke as she stood beside the older witch.

Odette stood still as Mother Talzin watched her. She had read up on the Nightsisters before leaving Coruscant, but it didn't prepare her for this encounter. She could feel the dark side pressing against her, yet it was gentle.

Mother Talzin hummed for a moment. "I can sense the darkness within you child. You need not hide it away from us." Her double toned voice reminded Odette of Son, but the other voice did not harmonize with her's like it had with Son, Daughter and Father.

"It's not my darkness." Odette spoke up as she held Mother Talzin's gaze. "It's what I've come to ask. Would you be able to remove him from me?"

"Who?" Mother Talzin asked, intrigued by this Jedi's request.

Odette hesitated for a moment, not knowing if she could take control back from Son if she brought him out enough to reveal him. She took a deep breath as she released her hold on Son, but nothing happened. Odette frowned as she searched for him, but he was being silent. 'Of all the times to ignore me...'

"Child." Odette looked up, finding Mother Talzin a breath away. A cloud of green come out of the witch's mouth, causing Odette to cough as she inhaled it. Her vision began to blur as a coldness spread throughout her body.

" **NO!** " Son shouted through Odette's lips. " **You will not tear me from this vessel witch.** " His double toned voice overpowered Odette's, muting her. " **She is mine. None of you are worthy.** "

"How interesting." Mother Talzin spoke as she gauged the soul before her. "You are of Sith, yet she is Jedi."

" **Not for much longer.** " Son looked around at the various witches scattered about the cavern. " **Now, what are you worried about?** " Ventress froze as Son's black and red gaze fell onto her. " **I sense your fear and worry. You know of something to come. Now what could it be?** " Son chuckled as he relinquished control to Odette.

Odette fell to her knees, coughing out the last of the green smoke from her lungs. She looked up at Ventress. "What was he talking about?" Her wrist beeped as her com went off. "Commander?" She answered, but only got static. "R7, boost the signal." The droid beeped a response. "What do you mean 'no'?" The droid beeped again before jamming her com.

"Looks like your droid betrayed you." Ventress watched as the jedi stood and faced her, a fire in her eyes. "If you must know, I recently attempted to assassinate Dooku. No doubt he intends to get revenge eventually. If he knows I am here, he will attack. Your droid probably works as his spy, but your clone troopers will certainly give us the numbers to defeat them."

Odette held her glare with the former sith for a moment longer before heading for the cave entrance. No one stopped her. Once she reached the cave she found a few Nightsisters harassing R7. She donned her helmet as she made her way over. "Move." She ordered as she picked the droid up with the force. "Who do you work for?" The droid beeped indignantly at her. "I think I can make you talk easily." Using both of her hands, she tore off the droid's legs and let him drop to the ground. R7 beeped rapidly before Odette picked him up and hung him upside down. "Talk." R7 let out a few more beeps before he shut himself down. Odette growled as she crumpled the droid and threw him out into the swamp.

"Odette!" Odette's head snapped to her com as it came back to life. "We've got a massive separatist invasion fleet. I've never seen one this large." Jet sounded worried.

"Have they engaged the fleet?" Odette asked as she began making her way towards her fighter.

"Not yet, but they're getting into attack formation. General, what are your orders?" Odette paused before she looked back at the Nightsisters. If Jet was worried about the size of the incoming fleet, then the Nightsisters would be wiped out. Yet if they stayed, they would probably take heavy losses. "General?"

Odette didn't like making this decision, but she had to. "Contact Coruscant. We're going to need reinforcements." She kept walking to her ship, knowing this was going to be a hard argument to make.

She got to her ship and manually set up the transmitter to allow her to communicate without having to return to her cruiser. She had remove her helmet to make a few final adjustments. Soon the holo came to life and Jet appeared beside her. "General, the droids have engaged our fleet. We've launched fighters defensively."

"Alright. How's it going with calling Coruscant?" She worried if the droids were already blocking their long range transmissions.

"We got through for a moment before we got cut off." Jet admitted. "Hopefully they realize what's happened and send someone to investigate." Odette agreed with him. "What's the plan?"

"I need troops on the ground." Odette stepped to the side as a map of the terrain she was in came up. "The Nightsisters have a plan of sorts. Which involves us beating them all, or hold off the droids as best as we can. It seems Count Dooku doesn't take kindly to almost being assassinated."

"That explains their size." Jet pushed a few buttons on the console on his end. "This is what the droid army brought with them." Odette whistled at the sheer number of droids Dooku had sent to wipe out the Nightsisters. "General, we're going to lose a lot of men."

Odette let out a sigh, not liking her own answer. "This is war, Commander. There's no option except to lose men." Jet's holo faded for a moment before reconnecting. "Jet? What's going on?"

"Droid's took out the hyperdrive." Admiral Polar spoke as he entered the conversation. "The Genesis has reported it's reactor is starting to overheat. I've already given them the order to evacuate all personnel for ground assault." Odette nodded. "General, we will use the Protector to cover the escape of our last cruiser. Their hyperdrive is almost set. They'll jump outside of the enemy's jamming range and reconnect with Coruscant."

"Be careful." Odette advised her Admiral. "With your hyperdrive damaged it won't take much more damage for them to blow the reactor core." She then looked to her Commander. "Jet, I need you to get as many of our troops on the ground."

"Yes sir!" Jet answered before putting his helmet on and leaving the holo.

Odette looked back to her admiral. "It's been...interesting, General Kryze."

"No dying Admiral. I don't want to have to get used to a new one." Odette saw a ghost of a smile cross Polar's face before the transmission ended.

As she tuned back into the world around her, she picked up the sound of droids fighters. No doubt the droids had to land their large carrier ships further away due to the rough terrain and sent vulture droids in to thin them out. Her own gunships and walker transports might have the same problem. With getting men on the ground. Luckily they did have jet packs they could utilize.

Odette put her helmet back on before running back towards the Nightsister's cave. She found Ventress outside along with many more Nightsisters. "I suppose this means you'll fight with us." Ventress smirked knowingly.

"My father mentioned you had a sense of humor." Odette looked out towards where the droids would probably attack from. "The droids are blocking our long range transmissions. We'll have to hold out until we get passed it."

"We will overcome." Mother Talzin spoke as she began to float, green clouds floating off of her. "Or we will perish."

Odette coughed as the green smoke seemed to wrap around her. She took off her helmet to try and get clean air into her lungs. "General!" Odette tried to answer Jet, but the smoke was choking her out. "General, I don't know if you can here me. More separatist ships just arrived behind us. We've been cut off and overwhelmed. We can't get to the surface. I'm sorry-" The transmission cut to static as Odette's vision darkened.

" **Kill them all.** " Green smoke poured out of her mouth as her voice mingled with Son's voice. Her eyes glowed a vivid red against black scleras. Odette let her anger bubble over as the droid army came into sight and began shooting at them. She held her hand up, stopping all the shots and droids within her gaze. Droids walked passed the frozen ones, confused as to what they were doing. Odette shouted as she pushed them all back, plasma bolts included.

Ventress walked up beside her. "We need to find Grievous. I sense he is leading this attack." Odette nodded in agreement as she replaced her helmet. Taking out the leader of the droids would end this conflict swiftly. "Mother, we will need an army to defeat the droids." Odette focused on crushing droids as Ventress spoke to Mother Talzin.

"Sisters, follow me!" Ventress called out as she ran into the swamp. Odette followed behind her, easily keeping up with the witches. "Take to the trees. We will hit them from above and below." Odette stayed with Ventress on the ground as some Nightsister split off into the trees.

Once they were close to the droids, the force wielders ignited their sabers. They cut through droids while purple bolts of plasma shot down droids from above. Odette was impressed as no Nightsister shot missed a droid. This only cemented in her mind how inferior a droid army was to a clone army. The only things these machine had were numbers.

Odette's gaze fell on a formation of tanks in the back line. One of which was much bulkier. This one she recognized from a report. " **That canon is going to be a problem.** " She told Ventress as they took cover.

Ventress looked over and noted the canon. "We'll have to get close and destroy it."

A shot lit up the sky as it arched overhead. " **Move!** " Odette called out as she got out of cover and shoved the droids back with the force. The Nightsister moved through the trees, taking cover from the droids and the canon. As another shot went off, she and Ventress made it to cover close to the tanks guarding the canon, but there was too much fire coming at them for them to move any closer.

As Odette looked around to try and find another way around, a shrieking pierced through the sound of blaster fire. She looked over as bone thin Nightsister streamed towards the droids, ignoring wounds or danger. "The army of the dead." Ventress spoke up beside her. The two looked to each other before running alongside the undead Nightsisters towards the tanks.

They rushed up a tank, pulling open the top hatch. Odette pulled the droid out of the control seat and tossed him aside with a simple wave of her hand. Ventress climbed in and swiveled the tank around, firing on the canon. With the added firepower, they made their way through the droids towards the adding ships. Odette blocked shots as Ventress drove the tank.

Once they reached the ship, a shot disabled the tank. Odette and Ventress leapt off the tank, using the droids as stepping stones to make their way towards the landing ship. They landed at the base of the ramp, Grievous standing before them. Both sides came to a halt as the two leaders stared each other down. "Surprised?" Ventress asked the cyborg.

"Hardly." Grievous stood his ground on the walkway of the ship. "You were the one I was sent here for. The spawn of Kenobi is an added bonus."

Odette noticed Ventress's attention shift to her for a moment before returning it to Grievous. "Then fight me alone. Prove you're the greater warrior." She challenged as she pointed her saber at her. "If I win, your army leaves. If you win, the Nightsisters will surrender. Then you can fight the Mandalorian."

"I have always been greater than you." Grievous spoke as he disconnected his arms and drew all four of his sabers. "But you are no challenge."

Odette stepped up beside Ventress. " **Then you will face us both. See if your enhancements make you stronger than our combined power, monster.** " She locked her blades together, forming her saber staff. " **On your lead.** " She told Ventress as Grievous began spinning his hands as he approached them.

"Stay behind him." Ventress spoke as she charged forward.

Odette followed behind her, leaping over her and Grievous. She swung out at him, being met by two of his blades. She was mildly impressed as the droid general managed to fight off both her and Ventress, but he also had enough limbs and sabers to do so.

"Enough!" Grievous shouted as he kicked Ventress back towards the ship. He then swung all four sabers at Odette. She managed to block, but was thrown back towards the Nightsisters.

Odette deactivated her sabers to avoid hitting any of them. One of the sisters helped her up. "Thank you." She told the woman before turning her attention back to Ventress and Grievous. Ventress had gotten back up and was fighting back fiercely. In a flash she got passed his defenses and cut an arm off.

Odette was hopeful as Ventress raised her blades to finish the cyborg off, but Grievous was a coward. "Kill her!" He commanded. His droids began firing on the Nightsisters and Ventress. As if he would have ever honored their agreement.

Odette rushed in towards Ventress. If they wanted to kill the monster, they would have to face him together. She reached the former sith just as she stumbled down from being hit in the shoulder. Odette disconnected her blades to block blaster shots. " **Get her out of here!** " Odette called out as she turned her attention to Grievous. The cyborg towered over her with three ignited sabers.

In a rush of screeching and screaming, a pack of undead Nightsisters rushed Grievous, taking away his attention. Odette took the chance and turned to follow Ventress' retreat. Ventress knelt beside a fallen Nightsister. " **We have to go.** " Odette put her sabers away and helped Ventress back to her feet. She supported her as they made their way into the forest, heading for the Nightsister's cave.

It was slow going, Ventress stumbled from both her injury and exhaustion. Odette was also started to feel it. Whatever power Mother Talzin had given her to draw out Son's power had faded. Plus, she wasn't even sure they were heading in the right direction.

After a while in the swamps, silence overtook them. No distant sound of fighting could be heard from any direction. Odette was sure Ventress felt it as well, life had gone out from around them. They were alone.

A green floated towards them, slowly taking the form of Mother Talzin. Odette supported Ventress as she looked to the figure. "It is over, sister." Mother Talzin spoke solemnly.

"No one remains?" Ventress asked hoping to hear differently. She got no such response. "This is all my fault. Where do I go? What do I do?" Odette felt for Ventress, having been in a similar spot once before.

"This Chapter is over." Mother Talzin spoke. "Your destiny will always be linked with ours, but you have your own path to follow now." With her peace said, she began to dissipate into the air.

Ventress jerked free of Odette's grasp, chasing the vanishing form. "No! WAIT! You can't leave me here!" She stumbled forward, trying to cling to Mother Talzin, but the specter vanished leaving them alone in the swamps of Dathomir.

Odette stepped forward and placed a hand on Ventress' shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more." Was all she could think to say.

After a few moments they heard the distant sound of the droid ships leaving. It seemed they had given up on hunting them down. Odette looked up as she watched them leave, just making them out using her range finder. She also spotted the remaining debris that had once been her ships and battalion. She put her scope back up before removing her helmet and sitting down on a branch.

"Kenobi is your father?" Odette looked up as Ventress looked to her curiously. "I can see it now."

"Not going to try and kill me?" Odette asked with a bit of banter in her voice, but it was weak.

"I think we've seen enough death today." Ventress answered before pushing herself to her feet. "We need to move. I have a ship further this way. Yours is that way." Ventress pointed in two different directions. "This is where we part ways, Mandalorian."

"Odette, my name is Odette Kryze, or Kenobi. Whichever you prefer. I don't mind either." Odette offered the woman. Ventress was not her enemy.

Ventress gave her a small nod. "Farewell, Kenobi."

Odette watched the woman walk off, seeming to have resigned to her solitude. She felt for a moment to offer her company, but decided this would be for the best. She would be heading back to the Jedi, Ventress wouldn't be too welcomed there. She turned and headed in her own direction. She replaced her helmet and set it to tracking down her fighter. With any luck a hyper-ring might have survived the battle. Otherwise she would have to camp on the planet until she managed to get a long range transmitter working or help arrived.

It took about half an hour of trudging through the swamp until she locked onto her ship's signal. Luckily it had been out of the way of the battle and didn't have any damage. "Now just to see how hard this thing is to fly without a droid. I picked the wrong droid today. Even R6 would have been better than that traitor." She muttered to herself as she climbed in and got the ship running. She lifted off and flew up towards the debris field.

The three cruisers were spaced apart, debris floating everywhere. Odette took a moment and fired up the life-form scanner, hoping for any survivors. She kept the scanner running as she flew around looking for something she could use.

Odette paused as a yellow and blue shape spun around to her left. "You have got to be kidding." She angled her ship over and left it to drift as she pulled the droid closer for inspection. By the looks of things, R6 was intact, just powered down. "Let's fix that." Odette used the force and flipped the switch, powering the droid back up. R6 came to life in her grip, looking around wildly. "Easy Risk." The droid calmed and looked at her. "Hey buddy." She slid him into place in her fighter. "Nice to see you again."

Odette flew off towards where the remains of the hanger, hoping to find a hyperspace ring. "Anything on the life-form scanner?" R6 beeped negatively. "Try boosting the range." She offered as she kept her eyes open for their ticket out of here. R6 beeped, distracting Odette from her search. "Who's coming out of hyperspace?" She hoped it was a friendly ship.

Her prayer was answered as a republic cruiser arrived, three of them in fact. "General Kryze, This is Commander Cody, do you copy?"

"Hey Cody. Am I glad to see you." Odette responded as she steered her ship towards the cruiser. "I've only been able to scan the Protector. I don't know if anyone survived from the Genesis or The Hunter."

"We'll take over from here." Cody responded.

Odette flew into the hanger and landed the ship beside a familiar jedi fighter. She got out and took her helmet off, shaking out her cramped curls. "Well R6, we're alive." She placed a hand on the droid's head as he beeped sadly.

Odette felt a calm wash over her, an all to familiar presence. She turned and spotted him a few yards away, her father. She felt so many emotions crash through her as she walked over to him and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back without hesitation. "It's alright Odette. Everything will be alright."

Some small part of her wished his words could be true, but she knew better. Nothing was alright anymore. It hadn't been in a long time, but for this moment she let herself believe it. For this moment it would be alright.

* * *

Goodness, that went on longer than I originally planned.

Now I might have fudged the timeline a bit. Basically there are some days between when she decides to go to Dathomir and when she arrives. In those days Obi-wan infiltrates the bounty hunters planning to kidnap the chancellor and they foil the plan. Dooku fights anakin and looses and flees. It was his anger at failing that makes him seek out victory against the Nightsisters. And that is how i decided to mesh Obi-wan's secret mission with wiping out the Nightsisters. As well as how this would be Odette's reunion with her dead father that she knew was actually dead.

They don't really give us specific number of days between events, which works out great when I want to slot things together.


End file.
